Remnants of a Shinobi
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: They say history is written by the victors. But is it really? In my experience, victory comes to both courageous and coward alike. Mine cost me my dignity. My pride. My world. The next one might cost me more still. That's alright. I'll be the sacrifice. Let me atone for my failures. Let me fight. Let me help. Please. Its the least I can do for those girls. Narutoxharem? Vote!
1. The Fox and The Maiden

**A/N: EDIT: Bloody hell this story is getting flames.**

**I don't understand why, I really don't, I just wanted to make people happy...**

** Working a double shift today, so I wanted to get this out for you guys and girls. Fair warning, if you don't know much about RWBY you might be a little confused...**

** Dear god, I finally did it.**

**Well, hopefully I won't get murdered for this.**

**Yes, the title is a PUN and I regret nothing. Har-har-har.**

**Updates for this story will be bi-weekly, depending on the reception it receives.**

**I'll say it plain; if folks don't like or review it...well, that'd be a shame, but I won't write a story people dislike. ****Alrighty then, I don't _think_ anyone has written this particular idea before, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. It took me awhile to get this idea off the ground, but here we are. Whatever could I be referring to, you ask?**

**Well.**

**By all means...**

**...read on and see for yourself~!**

**Fair warning, I'm still very much a rookie when it comes to RWBY so feel free to correct me if I've made any mistakes. I've only made it up to season six thus far and am watching the rest as we speak. I'm a****lso taking a more risky venture here, in that I'm not afraid to kill off characters. That's right. There will be deaths. So brace yourselves now. Furthermore, this Naruto is in his prime, albeit a bit weakened by near-exhaustion. With NONE of his powers taken away.**

**None of that Boruto baloney here.**

**That's right, we're talking Final!Naruto, with both arms intact, and the Sage's power, fresh from the Valley of the End. Personality-wise, he's nearly the same, with some minor tweaks. Now, before anyone gets angry or starts yelling, hear me out. ****He's not godlike by any means or measure mind you; he can be deceived, tricked, even defeated if his enemies play their cards right and use strategy. ****But trying to fight a true jinchuuriki-even a tired one-in a straight up fight without proper preparation...ohohoho****...well. Lets see how well that goes, eh?**

**And with that, I proudly present Remnants of a Shinobi.**

**The tile is a hint towards...something.**

**Hope you enjoy this~!**

_"An acceptable loss. Otherwise known as acceptable damage, is a military euphemism used to indicate minor casualties or destruction inflicted by the enemy. In other words, a victory that comes at a tolerable cost to your being or the soldiers under your command, albeit a cost nonetheless. After all I've been through today...after everything we went through to win..._

_It only cost me my dignity. My pride. My word._

_...yeah. I'd call those acceptable losses."_

_~?_

**The Fox and the Maiden**

_What do you know of evil?_

_Insidious, isn't it? __We all carry that tiny piece of darkness deep inside us; its our choice to smother it, or give it fuel. __No one simply turns overnight. Its far more subtle than that. A whisper here, a lie there, a bit of unkindness towards your friend. You tell yourself that you're in the right, that you aren't doing anything wrong. They deserve. You're taking what's rightfully yours. Dozens upon dozens of small acts that build and build and BUILD over time, until you wake up one morning and discover you no longer recognize your own reflection. Now the face staring back at you in the mirror is that of a stranger, the kindness in your eyes a hollow shell hiding something hideous. Somewhere along the way you sold your soul for power __and before you know it you're alone, gone down a dark road to no return._

_Was that how it was for my friend, I wonder?_

_Were we blind? __Did we fail to notice it?_

_What did we do wrong?_

_ All my life, I've tried to keep myself from going down the same path. I've fought tooth and nail against whatever I deemed to be wrong injustice wherever I found it, from __petty acts of spite, to crimes of the vilest order, even overarching ambitions to consume the whole of creation as we know it. I've just about seen it all. My eyes have stared down powers that would make most men weep; my hands have grappled with ninja, demons, immortals, even the gods themselves. All the while holding true to what I believed was right. __I said compassion was not a weakness, nor kindness a sin._

_And I can say, without a doubt, that I was an idiot._

_ Was I afraid? Of course I was. In the beginning I wanted nothing more than to run. To turn my back on everyone and everything, to run as far as my legs would carry me. But I couldn't. I wouldn't. I learned to stand my ground, to fight. Because something deep inside me said this was wrong. Someone had to do something. Someone had to take a stand. I trusted my heart and followed my emotions where they led me. __Sentiment is the very foundation of our being after all, for without it, without that spark of humanity, what are we? _

_Little more than mindless beasts tearing one another apart. _

_Emotions__ define us, you see. __They st__rengthen us. __Weaken us. Drive us forward. Hold us back. Emotions can burn. Heal. Hurt. Some master their emotions, steel themselves and fight for what they believe is right. __A misguided few fill their hearts with malice in their lust for power, and everything around them goes up in flames. __Hope becomes hate. __Joy twists itself into wrath. And l__ove...love turns to bitter, bitter envy. And yet still they seek more. Always more. Its never enough for them. They always. Need. More._

_What's that old saying again? __Everybody wants to the rule the world._

_No matter the time, no matter the place, there will never be a shortage of shortsighted sycophants who seek to use others for their own gain. Those who crave power solely for power's sake. I should know. I fought more than my fair share. Orochimaru, Madara, Kaguya. Traitors, puppeteers, monsters all. They were fiends. But the worst among them...would be me._

_Because I believed._

_Because I was a naive boy._

_Because I thought good would triumph._

_After all he'd said, all he'd done, all he swore he would continue to do, I still tried to save my friend. To bring Sasuke back from the darkness. I thought I could. __I should've killed him. But I didn't. __That's who I was. __We are who we **choose** to be, not who people think we are. I chose to help Sasuke at the time; even if he didn't want to help himself. In the end, when Kaguya was all but sealed and the battle was done, __I offered him my hand. I'd chased him back to the Valley of the End, still thinking of him as my friend, still hoping-believing!-that I could save him from himself. And h__ow did the great Sasuke Uchiha repay my kindness?_

_ He ran me through with his sword. _

_There's nothing quite like the cold feel of steel in your gut to shatter your beliefs. Your world. You spend so long living your life by a single guiding light, and when someone snuffs it out...well. I never saw it coming; my eyes were too blind to see the truth in front of me until it was too late. Until that moment, I t__hought it would all turn out somehow, even if he killed me. Even if I died fighting him. I was wrong. The moment I realized he actually meant to kill me, to keep killing everyone afterwards..._

_At first all I could do was wonder. Why? Where had I gone wrong? How had I failed to reach him? Perhaps he was already lost by the time I found him, utterly consumed by insanity. Maybe he'd gone mad as he bathed in the blood of his enemies. Who could say? Regardless, it didn't change the obvious. The Sasuke I knew__ was dead. __All that remained was a mad dog to be put down._

_...something broke deep inside of me._

_ I remember grabbing at the blade, feeling it slice deep into my palms. The searing agony when he inevitably ripped his weapon free and left me to bleed out. I wasn't sure what he said to me after that. His words turned to an endless animal bleat in my head. Something about vengeance? He said he would make everyone and everything pay for what they did to the Uchiha clan-to his brother-and that he would start with me. I couldn't hear the rest. I didn't care. __Somehow, the sting of betrayal made it all the worse, the realization that, because of me, a monster would be unleashed upon the world. He was going to kill me. I didn't want to die. __Deep down, I was afraid, and that fear got the better of me._

_That's how it starts you know; the fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men...cruel._

_ Guts gripping in the dark, I managed to rally Kurama and climb to my feet; somehow we fought back. If this wasn't my friend, if this stranger wearing Sasuke's face would sooner see the world burnt to rose red cinders and laugh among the ashes...then I had no reason to restrain myself. This wasn't my friend. This was a threat to humanity as we knew it. And so we fought. Not for justice, not for glory, just two men trying to kill each other. One for hate, the other out of fear._

_I...can't remember much of what happened afterwards._

_In our final battle, we rent the world asunder around us, tore open a hole in space and time, and tumbled through. I fell one way. He fell another. I don't know where he wound up and I don't care. I hope he dies from his wounds. Spirits, I hope it hurts. He's dead to me. If I see him again...bah, who am I kidding? Hell, I don't know where_ **_I_ **_am these days. Feels like I've been falling forever, tumbling through the black as my strength slowly bleeds back into my body. Unable to see. Unable to hear. __I was so close. Just a little more. I just needed time. Just a little more time..._

_Wait._

_Hold on._

_Now I see a light._

_Finally! Took long enough..._

_...waitwaitwaitaminutethatstheGROUND?!_

* * *

_(...0o0o0...)_

* * *

"Falling, falling, _falllllliiiiiiing~!"_

With a terrified yelp, the tattered body of a young man crashed through the void and plummeted to the earth like a falling star. No one heard him. The stormy sky snatched up his screams and dashed his hopes to dust as he shot toward an ignoble end, a stream of golden flames trailing in his fiery wake. For all his strength-all his power-and chakra, in his current state he found himself just as powerless against gravity as any man, moreso the momentum behind it. Arms sailing, limbs flailing, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't do anything more than fall to his doom.

And as he fell, he saw.

A whole new world lay sprawled out below him in all its rustic glory; this humble countryside with beautiful green pastures and a worn road leading out of a wooded forest. For a fleeting flicker of a second he thought he glimpsed someone down there on the path below, a distant speck of color taking on the form of a cloaked figure. Might they have paused to look up at him as he barreled across the horizon? Did they see him? Did they hear him? He never really knew the answer to that question; hurtling at breakneck speeds as he was. If he didn't recover somewhere in the next ten seconds, he was going to be a red smear on that pretty brown ground.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Pinwheeling his limbs did nothing more than send him spinning in place, shouting in impotent fury. "I wanna get off this crazy _riiiiiiide!"_

It wasn't merely a matter of stopping; he had nothing to grab, nothing to grasp, nothing to hold onto. With each passing moment a messy end hurtled closer and closer, the ground even now rushing up to greet him as if he were some long lost friend. Try as he might, he couldn't think of a landing that didn't end with copious amounts of pain, or worse-

**"Stop screaming and do something, you dolt!"**

Thankfully, a familiar voice jerked the jinchuuriki back to reality before he could become intimate with the dirt. And with that, the seed of an idea planted itself in his mind. No, he couldn't stop himself from falling, not in this state. He was nearly out of chakra after that last battle, and Kurama alongside him. But he could control his fall. And those were _trees _he was falling toward.

The barest beginnings of a grin plucked at Naruto's whiskered cheeks. "Kurama! Arms!"

Deep within the recesses of his mind, the fox smirked. **"About time you took charge. Brace yourself!"**

Gritting his teeth, Naruto flung his arms outward just as a familiar golden glow engulfed him. Branches snapped and tore at his already ruined jack as he crashed into the treeline; all the while valiantly struggling to adjust, contain, then somehow control his rampaging momentum. At his peak it would've been a simple thing to use his remaining truth seeking orbs to simply levitate...if most of them hadn't been destroyed. As things stood he simply didn't have enough energy to recreate the damn things at the moment, much less with so many leaves smacking him in the face.

"This was a poor landing strategyyyyyyyyy!"

**"Try to grab a branch or something!" **came the vain counsel.

Naruto grunted. "What!" _Smack._ "Do you." _Smack._ "Think I'm doing?!" _Smack!_ "This isn't working!"

Agony arched down the length of the exasperated blond's spine as he forced his arms back to his sides and briefly submitted to his fate. Gravity seemed intent on dragging him through every branch, twig and tree on the way down. It took more than a considerable effort on his part not to simply squeeze his eyes shut against the pressure and look away out of fear. Every fiber of his being was needed for what came next. Even the slightest lapse of concentration could spell disaster for him.

"There!"

In a fit of pique the shinobi lashed out with a golden claw at the nearest bough that looked large enough to bear his weight; for his foolishness, he nearly wrenched his arms out of their sockets before raw velocity tore him free and sent him slamming through the trees again. But it slowed him. Just a sliver. This time, a grimmer grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. There it was. Progress. He could do this.

His second attempt yielded similar results to the first, albeit with less pain this time and more leaves.

Juxtaposed to the idea of dashing his skull in against another tree, Naruto tried again.

Contrary to the popular saying, the third time was not in fact the charm.

So he kept at it, seizing everything within reach, and each time, slowing himself that much more. It wasn't enough. For all his efforts, he couldn't even stick to a tree with his heels; merely attempting to do so threatened to break his legs. His tumble felt like an eternity, in reality, it barely lasted more than a minute...also not good for him.

**"We're running out of forest!"**

_"I know!" _he growled.

One final desperate grab finally brought Naruto the escape he so desperately sought from this hellish cycle; _this time _the next tree he grabbed didn't yield and he used the chance to swing himself up onto the nearest branch he could find. A wild whoop tore out of him as his battered back slammed against the battered oak, free at last. Alive, only moderately wounded before landing, and with all his important bits in one piece. He'd only demolished half a forest. Really, there was only one thing to say:

"Ha!" he crowed triumphantly, pumping a fist into the air," Nailed it!"

**"Prat."** Kurama shot back.

"Oh, shut up." despite his own aching body, Naruto managed to croak out a laugh. "You know you love me."

They bickered on and off for a few minutes more, neither willing to address the proverbial elephant in the room...erm, forest. They didn't know where they were. Or even when, at that. Their adventures had landed them in the past more than once before. Who could say where they'd wound up this time? This could be a new world, or an entirely different time period. Neither had any way of knowing the truth until faced with it. Now that their less than stellar landing lay firmly behind them-and around them-both man and tailed beast were loathe to broach the subject.

Naruto wasn't exactly keen on it, either.

His entire body protested even the most minute of movements; from his recently healed stomach to the countless scrapes and bruises he'd sustained during his fall down to his near chakra exhaustion. To say nothing of the mental wounds he'd sustained in battle. He'd panicked. Gone back on his creed. Broken his word, all to save himself. Here, in this moment, he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and rest. He didn't want to dwell on his guilt or his failure, where he was, or what he was going to do now. He simply wanted to close his eyes, sleep, and bury the past in his dreams.

Fate had other plans.

_"Don't just lie there, boy. You were brought here for a reason."_

A lone blue eye creaked open. "Eh? What was that?"

Kurama grunted. **"I didn't say anything. You alright there?"**

...no." groaning, Naruto rolled over on the branch. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

**"What, the size of your ego swelling?"**

"I'm serious." he sat up, craning his neck. "I just heard something."

**"Probably a storm or something."** Kurama barely twitched an ear in the seal. **"What does it matter?"**

As he stretched out his senses, sure enough, the distant sound of rolling thunder rumbled through the forest canopy to rattle their ears. Not a moment later, the rattle of an explosion raced after, hot on its heels. Naruto frowned. Storms didn't sound like that. Then what did? Curiosity's touch spurred him upright despite his wounds and still-tender muscles and reluctantly, he rose. Something told him to act. Move. Rise. As much as he might want to pay it no heed, he just couldn't ignore that noise. It set his senses on edge, filling him with dread.

**"Its probably nothing."** the old fox said as his host clamored down the tree. **"And if it _is_ something, its certainly none of our business."**

"Even so, I want to see." Naruto countered as he slid to a halt. "Just to be sure."

Feeling jittery, he left a pair of clones behind at the base of the tree with strict instructions to amass as much natural energy as they could. If it came to a fight, he'd be able to use whatever they gathered without straining his already depleted reserves. Of course, the fox had a remark for that too, in all his caustic wit.

**"Oho? Strategy? From you? That Uchiha really rattled you, didn't he? Now you're thinking like a shinobi."**

"Stop it, Kurama." A lone muscle jumped in the blond's jaw as he set out. "I mean it. Don't go there."

**"Go where?" **came the retort, **"You're jumping at shadows now, Naruto."**

"Am I?" he shot back. "You don't know if he's dead yet."

**"You took his arm off. He's gone. Accept it."**

"Nothing would make me happier."

They both knew it was a lie.

As they drew closer to the source of the noise, the unearthly din-what could that noise be?-began to steadily intensity, growing louder and louder with each successive step. By the time Naruto broke free from the forest and hit the dirt road they'd both glimpsed from afar before, he could barely hear himself think. Something lit up the horizon in the distance now, bringing with it strange sounds he wasn't accustomed to. His feet had long since betrayed him by then and quickened from a walk into a jog, racing down the path until he finally found the source...was not what he expected at all.

What he saw there turned his blood to ice; if only because he hadn't expected to run right into...this.

...what?"

A young woman lay sprawled on the ground only yards away from them, wasted and gasping for air, an arrow lodged in her back. As he looked on in quiet horror, a trio of shadowy figures advanced upon her with weapons drawn. One of them resembled a young man. The other two, were most certainly women. As he looked on, two of them seized the exhausted girl by the shoulders and hauled her upright, while the third donned something that looked like a pallid white glove.

He didn't like the look of that.

Even at this range Naruto found couldn't quite comprehend them properly; their faces and bodies almost seemed blurred as he hurtled closer. Like static over a grainy image. Something was actively interfering with his vision now, preventing him from fully discerning their identities. One of them looked up, and he thought he saw their posture tense as they noticed him. He couldn't be sure. Whatever the cause, the blur stabbed at his eyes yet again, this time bringing with it a lurch of pain.

**"Blasted illusionist!"** Kurama snarled in the back of his mind, drawing him back to the present with a lurch. **"Is one of them a genjutsu specialist or something?!"**

Naruto didn't hear him.

Because the girl was looking up. At _him._

Impossibly, her eyes found his across the distance. "Please...help..."

That quiet, plaintive gasp tore away the very last scrap of his hesitation.

Then there was no more time for thought, just long enough to call upon his old friend.

As ever, the fox responded readily enough. **"You and your bloody curiosity...bah! Fine! Go!"**

A trickle of golden chakra surged through Naruto's veins like warm honey even as he spoke, reinforcing his weakened form to some semblance of his full might. It would have to be enough. Instinct took the wheel and his body moved of its own accord, a lone kunai flying from his hand as he rocketed forwards into an inhuman leap. Even in his injured state, he hit his target without fail. Sure enough, the woman jerked back with a snarl as the honed knife slammed into her outstretched arm, interrupting whatever sordid ritual she was attempting before she could begin. Less than a yard away now, he heard her curse, and shouted her down with one of his own.

"Let go of her, you bastards!"

Then he slammed into them like a falling star.

In a single arc of vicious vermilion light, the weary shinobi came crashing down between the fair maiden and her captors; the sheer force of his landing kicked up a plume of dust, blinding all present. Nor did he stop there; he was still far from finished. Golden chakra arms burst from his back as he spun, swinging back with an ominous creak to form a towering hand to loom over them all. One that came came crashing down against the earth in a hurricane of molten motion.

_Hard._

It was a wild strike all things considered; little more than a delaying tactic meant to drive the girl's tormentor's back and gain some distance. He didn't expect it to work quite so well. Twin fists crashed down against the earth, splintering the soil like so much broken glass. Instead of startling them as he'd intended, his attack physically drove the pursuing trio back, sending two of the three tumbling away while the third leaped away to safety. In that instant, whatever static had fallen over his vision fell away, replaced by clear, glorious clarity. Without thinking he laid a hand on the girl's back and sent what-he hoped-was a healing pulse of chakra into her back.

Sure enough familiar mark on his palm stared back at him from her ruined shoulders, bringing with it a silent pang of relief.

And with that, he _saw._

Baffled blue eyes took in the scene before him as well as the unlikely trio arrayed against him; a silver-haired young man clad in burnt clothes astride a pair of metal legs-what the hell?!-a girl with striking green hair, red eyes, and dark skin matched by faded leathers, and finally a dangerous-looking woman bearing stunning black hair and an eerie gaze, her body all but wrapped up in a red dress. If this most unlikely trio held one thing in common; it was that each looked just as confused as he felt. Had he really hit the earth that hard? He hadn't meant to. Straightening up only made things worse. Green-hair reached for her weapons, and metal-legs over there looked about three seconds from lunging at him.

His reward for this selfless act?

The girl he'd "saved" yanked him backward.

"Seriously?!" he squawked. "This is the thanks I get...oh."

Incredulous, the shinobi turned to find himself face to face with a girl now kissed by the sun.

Held aloft by unseen forces, wreathed in lighting, her body sheathed in the elements, the storm itself.

Furious hazel eyes blazed down at him, set within a tanned face framed by a small frown and shoulder-length hair the color of autumn chestnuts. Clad in the tattered remains of what once resembled an off-white blouse with a brown vest, corset and pants, the young woman nevertheless still stood-hovered?-her ground in the face of the unknown. Her armor was another curious matter, from the gold bracer on her left arm, to matching bracelets on her right wrist. Whomever she was, she clearly like the color yellow as much as he did orange. Hells, she even wore a pair of tawny armored boots in that very color alongside a single golden pauldron atop her right shoulder! Not that he was focused on said shoulder; because those fiery orbs were now very much focused upon _him._

"Um...hello there?" he offered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as she gazed down at him from on high. "Look, I'm sorry I interrupted...whatever this, but you were hurt and...

**"Uh, kid?"** Kurama chimed in.** "Might wanna look again."**

In response, the young maiden silently dropped a notched arrow at his feet; the very projectile that had been lodged within her back a moment ago. When he looked back up at this strange warrior, he didn't even see any semblance of a wound, just a simple tear in the fabric of her blouse. Well. Apparently he'd given her enough time to heal or what-have-you...and as an individual who'd once regrown a _lung, _seeing that from the outside in was a little frightening all things considered. In hindsight, he wasn't sure what made him take the girl side; was it instinct? Concern? Some sixth sense? The sheer animosity he sensed from those three? Who could say? Regardless, he made his choice and stepped forward.

_It changed everything._

"Right, okay." he flung up his hands, keenly aware of the girl's clenched fists at her sides. "You got better. I can see that. But, listen! I'm not with them! I swear! I'm on your side! I helped you, remember?!"

Rather than reply, the recovering maiden continued to glower at him, her lithe form held aloft by celestial winds. The world held its breath. Naruto didn't relish the idea of fighting four people at once; much less when he was running on fumes. He had enough chakra for a few feats, maybe the odd clone or two, but if it came to a prolonged fight...

When she finally nodded, he felt his shoulders slump in muted relief.

"Whew." A fresh smile bloomed on his lips as he wiped a bead of sweat from his bow. "Great! And here I thought this was going to be har_-aargh?!"_

He never had the chance to finish that sentence as a vicious kick slammed into his unprotected back to launch him forward. Rage turned his vision red and the shinobi lashed out in kind to swing the back of his fist at his opponent's face. Maddeningly, he found it to be the same metal-legged-bastard from before, taunting him now with that indefatigable grin. It should have been a clean hit. Even in his weakened state, he possessed more than enough brute force to knock someone out with a solid right hook...if he connected.

Instead his clenched knuckles swept through an illusion of hollow air.

"The hell?"

This had to be a trick; there could be no other word for it as his fist slammed through another afterimage after the first, the smirking assassin inexplicably vanishing before his very eyes. By the time he realized what was happening said assailant had reappeared and slammed a kick against the back of his right knee, sending him stumbling once more. Tumbling to his feet, he retaliated in kind, only to meet open air for a third time. A blur of mottled black hurtled past his head as the assassin rang his skull like a bell.

Naruto sucked in a breath through his teeth. "That...hurt."

Inwardly however, his mind began to race.

_'The hell? I know I hit him! Didn't I?'_

**"Its that blasted girl."** This time a fresh surge of chakra accompanied Kurama's voice. **"She's using an illusion of some sort. Leave her to me. Focus on nuts and bolts over there."**

"But what about-

A torrent of flame sailed overhead as their unnamed ally shot past like a fiery comet, dragging the emerald-haired girl with her.

**...I think she can handle herself, boy. Unless you'd rather get in the middle of that?"**

"Nope." he decided after a moment's pause. "She's got this."

All the world became a blur as he closed with his opponent again; this time, not rushing in, careful to keep his guard up. He'd learned his lesson once already. When a roundhouse punt sailed towards his head, he didn't try to block it, choosing instead to let it sweep harmlessly past his ear. He was more than ready to return it. That barreling kick found itself intercepted by a golden arm and promptly returned tenfold as the whiskered warrior chambered one of his own into his opponent's face. Infuriatingly, his foe took the hit and rolled away, tumbling back to his feet like a graceful acrobat. Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. Great. This was going to be one of _those_ battles. He would've been content to simply beat his opponent down in stoic silence, but of course his opponent had to chime in.

"This isn't your fight, friend."

"Feels like it." he growled back, taking on a stance. "And you're no friend of mine. Who are you? Why are doing this? What's this girl done to you?"

In the distance, the red-eyed girl screamed. His enemy seemed to take a vindictive pleasure in it.

The assassin scoffed and snapped a kick at his head again. "Did you really think I'd just tell you what we're up to?"

"You will if you want to stay conscious."

Slim shoulders rolled in a halfhearted shrug. "Have it your way. Remind me to lay some flowers on your grave."

"Gods, you really are insufferable."

Whomever he was, he was good. Very good. Those metal limbs _hurt_ whenever the assassin landed a kick, block or no. But he'd seen better and fought worse. He'd sparred with Rock Lee and his eight gates. Fought down Madara in a contest of taijutsu and somehow lived to tell the tale. This assassin made for poor sport by comparison. Sure, he hit hard enough, but his primary method of attacking consisted of powerful kicks alongside the occasional odd punch. There was no substance to it. No form. Without the man's fiendish friend there to distract and distort his vision, Naruto soon found himself gaining the upper hand in due course. It was a hard fought battle, but soon enough, he gained the measure of his enemy. And he wasn't alone.

With a single mental command, he willed the pair of clones he'd created several minutes ago to disperse.

In an instant, the torrent of natural energy they'd gathered flooded his aching limbs.

Blue eyes blazed gold.

"My turn."

In hindsight, Mercury might've realized something was amiss; maybe he recognized his own inherent danger. The young man before him had come out of nowhere to disrupt their plans and despite his wounds, he seemed more than capable of holding himself in a fight. And now those eyes...the way they'd changed color...it set him on edge. A tiny spark if fear fanned itself to life in his chest as his opponent beckoned him forward, crooking four fingers toward him in a traditional come-hither gesture. His entire demeanor stood altered, just like his stance.

Just who the hell was this guy?

Railing against his fear, the assassin went back on the offensive, launching into a flurry of blows meant to drive the whiskered warrior's face in. He may as well have pounded his legs against a brick wall for all the good it did; none of them made contact. His opponent didn't budge; each strike found itself deflected or evaded with minimal effort, swept aside like a child's inept flailing. When he finally deigned to attack, Mercury never saw it coming. Tan hands snapped together in a singular motion and an open palmed slap collided with his face, sending the assassin staggering away. It brought back less than pleasant memories. Memories that made him slip, memories that left him open for the roundhouse that followed.

Half a heartbeat later, Mercury found himself sprawled out on his back. One punch.

He'd nearly gotten knocked out with a single punch, and it burned.

It was galling; being reminded of his powerlessness.

"What! Is! Going! On?! How are you doing this?!"

"Its called chakra, son. You wouldn't know."

Mercury rallied regardless. "Shut up!"

A sandal clad foot stomped down at his head, forcing the assassin to tumble back to his feet or risk further injury. His mad roll earned him an elbow to the back of the head for his troubles, a kick to the gut, doubled him over as twin hands took hold of his face and smashed it against a knee. A heel palm sent him reeling again, and finally, finally, he saw an opening. Of course Mercury took it. How could he not?

"Just drop dead you damn-

Shunting the bone-crunching heel aside as easily as one would a rebellious child, Naruto trapped the limb against his ribs and held it fast with his right arm. Mercury blanched when he saw the metal immediately begin to buckle beneath the strain. That...was mildly concerning. A human shouldn't be able to do that. A human _definitely _shouldn't be able to buckle his leg like that. Said confusion warped into further dread when a taut fist slapped into his throat. Air abandoned him, leaving him retching for breath. Reeling back in startled pain as much as surprise, he realized too late what was about to happen.

"Aw, hell."

Naruto's fist snapped back.

"Clench your teeth, pretty boy!"

Say what you would about the blond's lack of tactics; he hit hard. Mercury never saw the punch, but he certainly felt it. His snapped back and his body went limp. Naruto didn't even deign to look back to make certain he was down for the count. Damn but it'd felt good to wipe the smile off that prick's face.

Unfortunately, a trio of curved arrows wedged themselves in his right arm as he turned to search for his original target. Lovely. The blakcette was up again and he had another wound to worry about. Naruto tore them free with a grunt and sure enough, he found the woman in the red dress sneering at him, her blades combined to form some sort of composite bow. Well. That was just dandy, wasn't it? Today was full of surprises.

"What is _wrong_ with you people?!"

Part of him tensed when he presented his back to the girl to face his remaining adversaries, but the glowing maiden never struck him down. Something warm pressed against his shoulders; even then it took him a moment to realize the stranger had willingly moved to stand back to back with him. Instead a torrent of frozen leaves swirled forth to slash at their enemies.

**"I'm still running on fumes here, kid." **Kurama warned him again.** "Neither of us have had a chance to recover. End this. Now."**

_"...got it. Shock and awe it is. Lets do this!"_

He offered only one retort.

His old friend answered the call with sound and aplomb; bursting out of him like a great golden god with the howling fury of a thousand storms. At his full towering height, he barely felt his ally leap onto his back, but he snarled in triumph all the same. Floored by this sudden transformation, their remaining attackers didn't have time to retreat; the shockwave of his transformation did that for her.

**"Go for the green girl."** the old kitsune counseled.** "Her illusions are dangerous enough."**

Crimson eyes snapped downward.

"Gotcha."

Credit where it was due, Emerald tried to dodge. She really did.

But she just wasn't.

_Fast enough._

Realizing her peril too late, the green-haired girl nevertheless attempted to backpedal, even backflip out of the way. For all her speed and agility, she ultimately failed to evade Kurama's anger. A golden tail still snared her body and sent her spinning into the sky. Another seized her airborne body and slammed her down against the compacted earth with a vicious crunch.

"No!" someone cried out.

For a fleeting instant heNarutofelt a wrench of guilt; the poor girl would probably never walk again, if she survived at all. He knew the telltale crunch of bones anywhere.

That brief regretful pang vanished as a crystallized glass arrow slashed across his face. Irritation swatted all remnants of regret aside like an annoying gnat as he spun, sweeping all nine of his tails against the ground with blinding speed. As luck would have it, he also caught the boy with the metal legs just as he came to and sent him sprawling. The woman with dark hair proved more fortunate; she was father back and skipped away out of reach. But rather than attack again as he'd expected, she actually...hesitated. Only for the merest of moments, but that reluctance was there. Perhaps it was the sight of her fallen comrade that stilled her. Perhaps she feared meeting the same fate. Still, her hesitation suited him just fine; it gave his drained reserves a moment to replenish.

The desperation burned in her eyes, however, was all too real. "She's mine!"

Sheltered behind him, the brunette made a noise of less-than-pleasant disagreement.

Naruto couldn't help himself; he actually snorted at her response. "Don't think she agrees with you."

Still the woman continued to rail at him, heedless of her own peril. "Move, you damn brat! I swear, if you don't-

"You'll what?" Red eyes snapped down to her faltering form. "Kill me? I've died before. I got better. And if this your best...it ain't enough."

"Why protect her?" the blackette snapped another arrow at him, to no avail; he merely swayed out of the way. "This isn't your fight! You don't even know her!"

Cinder's words-though he knew not her name-sparked something in the whiskered warrior. An ember of anger. Pride. She was right. This wasn't his fight. By all rights there was no need for him to get involved. And yet, a thorn of fury pricked his heart and held him back. However much he might failed others, however cruel some might call him, he still couldn't bring himself to turn his back on someone in need.

"You're right about one thing." A lone finger jutted forward. "I don't need a reason to help someone. You, on the other hand...

**"Overkill?"** Kurama inquired with a grim grin.

Naruto raised his hands, palms splayed.

_"Overkill."_

Black light burst before his outstretched fingertips and the glowing effigy of Kurama's skull burned brighter into existence, an unholy light coalescing at the end his gaping jaws. A spiraling sphere of condensed chakra, one that continued to swell and grow with each passing moment. Even in his exhausted state, it took but a moment to bring what remained of his power to bear upon the enraged woman. Large. Larger. Largest. Naruto held it a moment longer, allowing the arc of his chakra to watching the woman's eyes widen in growing horror. It would be so easy to simply let it go; to unleash hell and eradicate her utterly. He should. He'd be in the right to do so, surely. To kill someone.

Instead, he missed.

_...damnit! I just can't do it!'_

Rather than obliterate her where she stood, Naruto willfully jerked his head to the right at the last instant.

Averted by sheer force of will, the blast roared up into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow; the sheer shockwave of which flattened everyone present. Streaking into the sky with a mournful howl, it continued to climb, higher and higher until at last it reached its zenith. All eyes tracked its movement, the battle briefly forgotten but this unheralded display. For a fleeting instant the tailed beast bomb hung in the heavens, defying the laws of nature and physics alike. Then without word or warning it burst, rendering the world went white with light; banishing even the clouds themselves from the sky.

In the aftermath, his opponent stumbled upright, eyes wide with disbelief.

**"That's it, then."** Kurama chided as his ethereal form began to fade. **"I'm out of chakra. Try not to die while I recover."**

Naruto relented with a wordless grunt as gravity sank its cruel claws into him; to his credit, he managed to land in a pointed crouch rather than fall on his face like a fool. Even then, the mere act of standing threatened to reopen his wounds and send him plummeting back into the black. He must've looked it too, because a spark of confidence glimmered back to life in the eyes of his adversary.

"Leave. Now." those two words rattled earth and sky alike. "Next time we won't miss."

It was a truth as much as a bluff; with his reserves still at an all time low, it was all he could do to breathe.

A wordless growl was Cinder's sole response, though he knew not her name. For all his bluster and bravado she appeared ready to strike solely out of spite; indeed, her burning gaze threatened to sear itself into his memory, such was its heat. No, that wasn't the word he was looking for. This was something more. Hunger. Yes, that one. Whatever this power was, this woman wanted it. She needed it. She _craved_ it, with a single-minded drive that rivaled his own. In her eyes, her teammates didn't matter. They were merely means to an end. She saw only the power before her. Still, she'd be a fool to attack now, wouldn't she?

Much to his alarm the witch darted forward, poised to cut him down-

_And the heavens answered in kind._

Naruto never heard the lightning; but he most certainly saw it. A bold bolt of white-and-gold snapped over his left shoulder with blinding, leaving skin tingling but otherwise as it arced past. Cinder wasn't so lucky. Caught in mid-leap, she had no time to escape. No strategy to save her, no brilliant plan to deliver her from harm. Time seemed to slow, all the colors of the world fading to grey. The assassin's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, her mouth forming a small, round "O" of surprise and muted horror. Then time reasserted itself with a vengeance and the acrid tang of burnt flesh filled the air.

Whomever she was, the Maiden didn't hesitate.

Wholly unprepared for this sudden assault, Cinder didn't even have the chance to defend herself; caught dead in the gut and forcefully flung away at impossible speed. Her body folded limply around the blast with a single tortured cry, struck the ground, rolled, then sprang back up. Faint sparks shimmered from her form, vanishing even as Naruto noticed them. A hand settled upon his shoulder and he risked a wary glance behind him; just in time to see the Maiden standing with her free hand hand stretched toward the sky. Furious hazel eyes focused upon the assassin, burning as though lit from within, her expression fixed into a single, wild emotion.

And so she spoke:

"You want this power so badly?! Then take it!" the words burst from her in an enraged sob, _**"TAKE IT ALL!"**_

No sooner had she done so than another towering bolt descended from the heavens above to strike the assassin down where she stood. This time, there could be no mistaking the agony behind her cry. Then another came. Another still. Another. Upon the fourth such blast her knees finally gave out, leaving her body to buckle to the floor in a heap. This time she did not rise again. Only steam wafted from her broken form, and she made no move beyond the odd twitch of her limbs. Despite himself, Naruto winced, his heart stirring in pity once more. That looked painful. She hadn't with simply been blasted; the poor woman been outright cooked from within. She might never recover from those burns without assistance.

He'd only just opened his mouth to congratulate his ally when a groan pierced the gloom.

"And they called _this _inexperienced?" someone grumbled under their breath. "What the hell...I didn't sign up for this..."

Much to their shared ire, the boy with the metal legs was still conscious. Standing, even. Though battered and bruised, his limbs still hadn't failed him. But rather than fight, this assassin only raised his hands in a gesture of submission. As he looked on, he sidled up to the green-haired girl and slung her over his right shoulder. With only a modicum of effort he performed a similar the same for his quivering companion, pulling her into his arms. Never did his gaze leave them, not a once, not even for a moment; he looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.

"Let's call it a draw this time, eh?" he kept his posture slack up for emphasis, despite cradling his wounded comrades. "Whaddya say?"

Naruto sucked in a breath that tasted of ash. "Give me one good reason not to cut you down here and now."

A silver brow rose.

"Because you've got nothing left in the tank there, blondie." slim shoulders rolled in a halfhearted shrug. "Guess I could say the same for your friend after her little tantrum. But don't feel bad," Even in defeat, he managed a bitter mocking smile. "We're pretty gassed ourselves. You two beat us pretty badly."

"Then surrender." The question didn't come from him, but the maiden watching over him. "If you do that, you'll be shown mercy."

...nah." that smile turned cruel as the young man shook his head. "Not gonna happen, Amber. We're not _quiiite_ done with you just yet."

Naruto felt the young maiden stiffen behind him.

Before either could challenge him the silver-haired warrior urgently nudged one of his allies.

"Hey, Em." he coughed. "Wake up already. We need to get out of here."

"You're not going anywhere!"

He leveled one last baleful glance in their direction.

"Right. This isn't over, whiskers."

A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw. "HEY!"

The world blurred-or perhaps he did?-and the trio vanished into the gloom even as he reached for them.

For a moment, he refused to lower his guard, nearly expecting some semblance of a sneak attack. Seconds passed. Then a minute. Finally, he just couldn't take it anymore. The tension drained out of him and his body sagged, fatigue and chakra-exhaustion at last extracting their long-awaited due. Now that the battle was won, he finally had an instant to breathe; to see just whom he'd saved. The same girl who'd saved him in turn. Amber, the assassin had called her. Huh. Not a bad name.

Wincing, he looked up at her.

Though her hair hung in disarray and her face was smudged with grit as well as dirt, the huntress favored him with a small, hesitant smile. Gods, she was beautiful. Her hand was probably the only thing holding him up right about now; if it wasn't for her staff, they both would've fallen over. She didn't question him. Didn't demand his identity nor to know his motives for aiding her. No, in the end, she only had one words for him. A single word of joy. Kindness. Humble gratitude-such a stark contrast to her earlier outburst, that it momentarily floored him-was all that greeted him.

...thanks."

Strong arms crushed around him all at once in a fierce embrace, drawing a startled grunt from the started blond as the brunette all but launched herself at him. He barely had the strength to sputter; such was his surprise at this sudden outburst. Had that been the end of it, he might've escaped with his conscience intact. Alas, the floodgates opened and much to his chagrin, Amber buried her head in his shoulder. She began babbling then, a stream of rapid endless words that he could barely recognized, much less decipher. He recognized one phrase however, all too well.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The jinchuuriki wheezed out a pained breath.

"Jeez, what the hell did I get myself...into...this time?"

He never heard her response; in that moment his wounds caught up with him.

With a wordless laugh, he pitched forward and finally knew the blessed release of slumber.

**A/N: Before anyone asks, yes, Crow arrived late this time around.**

**Don't worry, we'll see the rest of the RWBY cast soon enough. Not to mention Winter next chapter. ****Once again, this chapter takes place two years before the start of volume one, so I'll leave it to you dear reader, to vote for the pairing. I've got three in mind, but...well. That's up to you.**

**Yup. I just did that.**

**Always felt like Amber got the short end of the stick.**

**And just like that, with her survival, we've changed the game...haven't we?**

**The pairing, at present, is very much up in the air and left to you the reader, to vote on.**

**Emerald's illusions are pretty much useless against a jinchuuriki; Kurama can merely disrupt anything she throws at him.**

**In this timeline Cinder failed to get her hands on the Fall Maiden powers, which in turn, opens a LOT of doors and closes plenty of others. I have a plan for this story well in hand-already written the two separate drafts to account for pairings, harem or otherwise-and will adjust it accordingly as I work my way through the seasons. ****But don't expect Naruto to solve every problem. While he might not be as dense in this story, he's not the have-all-be-all either. Where's the fun in having an instant fix to everything?**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**(Previews)**

_Amber clutched at his hand._

_...please. Don't go."_

* * *

_"__No thanks, Ice Queen."_

_To her credit, Winter only blinked._

_...I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"_

* * *

_Ozpin adjusted his glasses._

_"Now then, let me see if I have the right of this. You say you fell...from the sky?"_

_Naruto facepalmed with a groand. "See, when you say it like that, it makes me sound crazy."_

_Something ancient and unknowable gleamed in the headmaster's eyes. "On the contrary. I believe you to be quite sane."_

* * *

_They always underestimate the fool._

_That is their weakness, you see. Their fault. Their folly._

_Everyone overlooks the jester...that may well be **your** greatest strength."_

* * *

_"Me? A Huntsman? Doesn't really sound like my thing."_

_"I'm not asking you to be a damn huntsman." Qrow took another wig of his flask. "I'm asking you to look after her."_

_...who? Amber? She can look after herself." confusion scrawled across the younger man's face. "Besides, s__he'll be fine without me-hey?!"_

_His words warped into a grunt as the huntsman's hand shot out and seized him by the collar; in the next instant he found himself rammed against the nearest wall._

_"What are you, dense as a brick? __No. She won't. Whoever did this wanted one thing from her." A stern finger jabbed him in the forehead. "Something you don't know about. They're not stupid. They're not going to stop, and she's NOT going to be alright. You hear me?" the words escaped him in a snarl. "They're gonna try again. And again and AGAIN until they get what they want. She might not be so lucky next time. So, unless you expect someone else to fall out of the sky and help her the next time she's in trouble..._

_With a grunt, he released him._

_...man up and take responsibility for your actions!"_

* * *

_The girl tilted his head._

_Naruto groaned. "You...don't talk, do you?"_

_An emphatic shake of said head answered his question._

_"So what do I call you?"_

_A sign snapped up._

_"N~E~O~?"_

**_R&R~!_**


	2. Resolution

**A/N: EDIT: Went back and fixed some things.**

**Added a few more scenes, made things more emotional and all.**

**Now, onto more serious matters. I hate, hate, HATE to post messages like this, but...well...I'll just say it:**

**I...may have a brain tumor, or some other nasty neurological problem that has cropped up over the last week or so. Nothing certain yet, nothing guaranteed, but there's something wrong with my head. VERY wrong. Feels like someone's clamping down on my skull, like my brain's trying to burst out of my temples. Medicine won't touch it, and it comes and goes with the wind. Gonna get it looked at in the coming days, so here's hoping it something minor.**

**Also.**

** REMEMBER!**

**We're still two years out from the events of volume one. Just about anything can happen here.**

**This chapter is told from multiple viewpoints, hope that doesn't upset anyone. Hope I portrayed everyone correctly.**

**0_0**

**Well, I didn't expect this story to get this popular, this fast~!**

**I'll try to live up to your expectations, as best as I can in the future despite the trolls trying to tear me down. So lets clear a few things up here. No plot armor for Cinder and her cronies. Zilch! Zero! None! Or anyone, really. Everyone's vulnerable in this story. Now, I'm not going to pull a Game of Thrones and start offing people left and right like Martin mind you; but this story isn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows. Some characters will struggle. For that is human nature, is it not? We struggle, sometimes we fall, but we always pick ourselves up again. **

**I've also been mentoring people in the ways of authoring these days. For free, of course. Bringing new authors into this world is its own reward.**

**So if anyone wants some help or tips, or wants to get a story off the ground, hit me up. Now-onto the good bits you've all been waiting for.**

**What, you didn't think Naruto was just going to save Amber and NOT suffer the consequences, did you?**

**As ever, chapter titles are puns and I regret nothiiiiiing~!**

**Minor timeskip of a few hours or so ahead.**

**How many hours, exactly? Twelve.**

**As always, I hope you enjoy~!**

_"Wait a minute. You mean...this isn't over?"_

_"Did you think they would stop after a single failed attempt?"_

_"Well, no. Its just...the two of us beat them. That'll slow them down, won't it?"_

_"For a time, perhaps. But they won't stop altogether. My boy, I'm afraid they've only just begun._

_Thankfully we have you to thank for her timely rescue. Come now, surely you have something to say about this?"_

_~A Discussion._

**Resolution**

_"That's quite the tale."_

Ozpin considered himself an excellent judge of character.

In all his years and countless lives, the Headmaster had learned to read an individual as one might a good novel. Call it an acquired skill of sorts; a talent he'd garnered over so many painful lifetimes. Ruthlessly cultivated, honed to a razor's edge, he was able to discern hidden truths at a mere glance. The way someone held themselves could tell him a subject's past; from the set of their jaw to the telltale twitch of their hand. Even the merest movement would likewise betray their mental state, whether they were prone to fits of paranoia, angry outbursts, or even sporadic bursts of energy. So yes, Ozpin could certainly read people.

And the young man sitting before him at his desk?

This silent figure refusing to budge so much as an inch from his seat?

His face told of pages _upon pages_ full of anger, volumes of despair, pain...yet also truth.

There was no deception here, no attempts to gloss over some hidden secret. Somewhere deep inside of him, in spite of all his injuries-nor the deep bags lurking under eyes that hinted at something deeper than mere raw exhaustion-this young man still carried some semblance of determination in him. A night's rest had done him good, it seemed. He was certainly a better sight now than he'd been back then. Clad in a simple blue tunic and contrasting dark pants in place of his ruined rags, he nevertheless sat up straight in his seat and met the Headmaster's gaze without flinching in spite of everything.

And to think, just yesterday he'd been sprawled over Amber's shoulder like a rag doll.

Were it not for the fretful Fall Maiden -even now at the whiskered warrior's side, poking and prodding him to speak- Ozpin might have thought the boy mute upon their second meeting. He was clearly choosy about those he trust at that; he'd even gone so far as to refusal medical treatment from anyone but Amber. It had taken several hours to wring this story out of him at all; even then he suspected the young man was holding part of it back. Oz could respect that, at least. Some secrets were best kept in reserve. Regardless, he still seemed very much wary of this brave new world in which he found himself.

"Now then, let me see if I have the right of this. You say you fell...from the sky?"

This whisked warrior, for Ozpin couldn't think of any other term for him, finally groaned.

"See, when ya say it like_ that _gramps, you make _me_ sound like the crazy one in the room here."

Amber promptly jabbed him with her elbow for his temerity. "Sh! What're you doing?! Don't call the headmaster that!"

"What's wrong with it?!" the blond sputtered, flailing spectacularly in his seat. "He's got white hair! It just slipped out, ya know!"

"On the contrary." restraining a small smile, Oz adjusted his spectacles and steepled his fingers together. "I believe you to be quite sane."

_"Finally!"_ much to his surprise, this response actually garnered him a delighted cry from his as-of-yet unnamed ally. "You're only the second person to hear me out _and_ say that!" Amber's quiet blush told Oz all he needed to know on that matter, but before he could think to inquire, someone else did it for him.

"Suuuuuuure. _Sane." _A gravely growl interjected over his shoulder. "Let's call it that. Why are we listening to this kid, Oz? Falling out of the sky? C'mon, he's clearly off his rocker."

_"Hey!" _Amber all but shot up out of her chair and bolted to her feet in a burst of fiery light. "That's uncalled for, Qrow! In case you've forgotten, he saved my life!" When no response was immediately forthcoming, Oz knew what would come next. Amber was many things, but her compassion -and by definition her rash of impulsiveness- was nothing short of legendary in Beacon. Sure enough, she proved him right soon thereafter. "And where were _you,_ come to think of it?! You didn't arrive until everything was already over! And are you _drunk?!"_

"He's _always_ drunk." Glynda put in mildly from her place at his side. Remarkably, she'd barely said two words since they'd convened. Who would've thought she'd stick up for Qrow?

"'Course I am." the clink of half-empty flask sloshed just out of sight. "And those people that attacked you? That brat could be with them too, for all you know."

"You're being paranoid! Why would he defend me, then?!" Amber's rebuttal proved sharp and instant. "Naruto's a good person!"

"And _you're _being naive."

Oz didn't need to see Qrow's face to sense the suspicions seething in his words; just as he didn't need to look at Amber to know she'd taken affront to him. And so their argument continued to escalate. He already knew his old friend was rolling his eyes somewhere behind him, just as he knew Qrow'd taken up a flanking position on his right in case their guest proved himself hostile. He could all but taste the animosity lurking in his voice, a hair trigger waiting to snap at the slightest provocation. Only natural of story laid out before them was...well, incredible, to say the least. Almost enough to make them second guess everything they knew about their world. It made his office feel small, somehow. But he believed their words to be true nonetheless. As to the series of unfortunate events that had led to this moment...well. Someone would have to remedy that.

"Now, now." Oz raised his arms as the two nearly came to blows. "Calm down. We're all on the same side."

"Are we?" Qrow challenged. "Because the way I see it-

It wouldn't be him. "Enough! Both of you!"

A tan arm shot out like a snake to snare Amber's wrist and jerk her backwards; in the same instant another hand slammed into Qrow's chest with enough force to make the older man stumble back half a pace. Oz blinked, momentarily alarmed by the spectacle. Somehow in the span of one instant and the next, Naruto had somehow managed to wedge himself between the pair and force them apart as though he were a parent disciplining a pair of naughty children. Amber was one thing, but one didn't move Qrow that easily. It was his first real display of combat prowess that day, one that lent further credence to his earlier claims. Moreover, how he'd done it brought the conversation to a grinding halt. Unfortunately, this brief bout of heroics backfired in a way that Ozpin failed to anticipate.

Because now there were _two_ of him.

While one held Amber back, _another _Naruto had inexplicably materialized in a plume of smoke to give Qrow a harsh shove. When the hunter shoved right back, the second "Naruto" vanished in another misty haze, leaving the hunter gaping in surprise. Oz didn't much blame him. Glynda looked about as mystified as he felt. If he didn't know better, he'd call it a strange Semblance of some sort...except the boy had just openly professed to be from another world. The mystic in him was eager to know more; how many copies could he make? Could they perform menial tasks? How much damage could they sustain? Countless questions buzzed about in his head like eager bees.

"Fascinating." Glynda murmured. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes...

Utterly unaware of the attention he'd drawn to himself, the original turned a stoic gaze upon Amber. "Look, just let it go, alright? None of this is your fault."

Sure enough, the huntress wilted beneath his gaze. She hung her head. "Sorry...

Then the boy turned his wrath on Qrow.

"Alright, buddy." sure enough, those keen blue eyes locked onto the huntsman harshly as he turned towards him. "Who shoved a stick up your ass?"

Qrow, caught taking another swing of his flask, utterly choked; the noise he made stuck somewhere between a grunt and an squawk.

Ozpin did not snort. No. Not at all. No, not in the least.

Amber, well, proved another matter entirely.

Glynda actually smiled. Just a touch.

Qrow's face...was a study in contrast. Now that his old friend had finally stepped back into view where he could see him, Oz found that his expression proved most telling. He couldn't tell if the man was surprised to have someone stand up to him, or startled by the sheer crassness of Naruto's remark. In short? The poor man looked as though he'd bitten into an incredibly sour lemon while simultaneously being told the greatest secret in all the universe. Honestly, it almost made Oz wish he had a camera. Pity.

Apparently Qrow felt the same; because he knocked his flask back again.

"Well, damn. Kid's got claws after all. Color me impressed."

Lovely. Crisis averted once more.

After yesterdays's events, tensions were running...well, strained was an inadequate word for the way he felt right now. Amber, chief amongst them. Poor girl. She'd been through so much already even before this attempt on her life, now they were subjecting her to this. At least she seemed to have made a friend in the midst of things.

And then said friend had to open his mouth again. "They were trying to take her powers, you dolt! Her_ life!_"

A horrible epiphany struck Ozpin.

His gaze sought out an embarrassed Amber.

"You told him, didn't you." it was not a question.

"Of course I did, sir." the brunette stood at attention, though her face burned red with silent shame. "He should know what he's fighting for."

By the gods, she'd actually gone and done it. "Those weren't your secrets to divulge, Amber."

She wilted with a whine. "I...only told him how I got my powers, that's all."

Naruto's scowl switched targets. "Yeah, about that...

Oz could already feel the beginnings of a massive migraine blooming in the back of his head and massaged his temples in a vain attempt to stave off what he knew would be coming next. While it was true that they hadn't necessarily told Amber _everything _about the great threat they faced -with good reason!- she knew more than most. Enough to make things rather complicated for Beacon's new arrival. For all his attitude, he'd proven that he was no fool. He'd have questions. Merely being informed about a Maiden's power threatened to paint a target on his back, but after what he'd done...it was far too late for him to back out now.

Even if he were to leave at this very moment, he'd be hounded for the rest of his life out of spite, if nothing else.

Ozpin fought down a small shudder at the thought, a quiet chill shooting down the base of his spine.

By now, Salem likely knew of this man's existence.

_She_ wouldn't take kindly to this sudden setback; even in kinder days she'd never been the sort to stand idly by and allow herself to be humiliated. That was precisely what Naruto had done to her. By Amber's own account he'd made her followers look like rank amateurs. This as well have been a slap in her face for all the good they'd done. She'd try again of course, she always would; be it through force or cunning. Salem had been pushed back before, but she always returned. He knew the way her mind worked. She would think he'd been hiding some secret weapon and speed up her time table; escalate her plans, if not worse...she'd hound this young man to the ends of the earth.

But the blond surprised him yet again.

"Eh? Now wait just a minute," Naruto continued, raising his arms to fend off further inquiries as everyone turned toward him. "What I'm fighting for...I didn't agree to fight for anything else here." when no one objected, he hastened onward, "I helped Amber because she needed it, sure, but she's safe with I just want to get back to my world."

"Be that as it may," And there was the crux of the matter that Oz was hesitant to broach, "I'm afraid we lack the means to help you at present."

Amber stepped to the young man and laid a hand on his shoulder with a feather's touch.

Long eyelashes fluttered up at the baffled blond.

"You're going to leave? Just like that?"

Naruto sputtered. "Well, I mean...

Oh, she was _good._

To her credit, the Fall Maiden stood her ground and didn't budge, even in the face of his hesitation. Nor did she let go of him. It was as if a switch had flipped somewhere deep inside her; in that instant, he recalled why she'd been chosen for this power. For all her empathy and compassion, Amber was downright _vicious _in a fight. Impulsive and rash she may well be, but she knew her loyalties. If she felt she owed someone a debt, no matter how minor, she would do everything in her power to see it repaid. And judging by the way she kept stealing glance at Naruto, she owed him a great deal indeed. No, it might even be the beginnings of...

...well, now.

Oz saw it in her eyes, the way she held herself, preening as Naruto looked at her.

Realization dawned like the coming season and tugged at the corner of his mouth in the form of a small smile. Flirting was far less destructive in his day, but who was he to interfere here? Let the girl follow her heart. Time would tell if the object of her affections felt the same. Say what you would about her lack of combat experience, Amber still had a good head on her shoulders. Better than most, even. While she hadn't mastered her powers -not yet- with an attitude like that and perhaps a better grasp on her, she'd likely fully realize them within a few years. Years they didn't have, he reminded himself.

Naruto was of a different mind on the matter.

He knew next to nothing about Maidens and Grimm, let alone this talk of Semblances and Aura. In his mind he'd done all needed to do already; he'd laid his life on the line for a complete stranger and seen her safely away from those who would do her harm. Amber was clearly safe now, ensconced behind the sturdy walls of Beacon. Ozpin was sure to keep an eye on her now, if only to keep her safe in the future. Surely she wouldn't let herself be caught out like that gain. By rights, he had done all that should be expected of him and more. He owed them nothing. These people had problems of their own. This wasn't his world. Wasn't his home. It sounded as if war was on the horizon for these people.

And he was so very _tired_ of fighting.

But could he really be satisfied with this? Could he really just walk away?

After all he'd said and done, could he forsake his beliefs again and just abandon them?

Risking a glance over his shoulder was a mistake; it gave voice to Naruto's own innermost fears and lent them a face. _Amber's face._ Even now she was still looking to him for an answer, still holding onto his arm -clinging, really- for dear life. It would've been the meanest thing to tear his arm free from her. Now that he'd recovered, he easily outclassed her when it came to raw strength. But he couldn't do it. For all her power, all her might, all her majesty and magic, she looked small. Afraid. Alone. He'd seen her fling enemies around like rag dolls, call down lightning from the sky like an angry goddess to smite those who dared attack her. Yet here, in this moment, she was as weak as he'd ever seen her be.

"Please," she whispered, regarding him with teary eyes. "Don't go."

**"Don't look at me, brat."** In response to this inner turmoil opened a slitted eye within his mind. **"This is your choice to make."**

_'Hey!'_ Naruto blanched inwardly at the blase retort. _'What happened to it being none of our business?'_

**"You _made_ it our business." **came the growl.** "When you dove into that fight."**

_Urk._

He was still dithering when Ozpin made him an offer.

"I understand your plight," the headmaster raised his voice patiently, drawing the blond's attention once more with his soothing tones, "There are many aspects of your situation that you don't yet know; secrets we can't tell you until we're certain you're with us. But consider what you _do _know for a moment. Our Fall Maiden is in great peril, due in no small part to her inexperience," He raised his right hand toward Amber for emphasis, and the girl, realizing she was still holding his hand, jerked back as if she'd been scalded. "Peril that you helped avert certainly, but that danger is not yet past. Far from it, in fact."

"Wait a minute." the jinchuuriki frowned. "You mean...this isn't over?"

Something ancient and unknowable gleamed in Ozpin's eyes "Did you think _they_ would stop after a single failed attempt?"

Of course not. Naruto faltered half a beat at the kernel of truth lurking in those words. "Well, no. Its just...the two of us beat them. That'll slow them down, won't it?"

"For a time, perhaps." Glynda interjected, capturing his attention before he could pause to dwell on the matter further. "But they won't stop altogether. I'm afraid they've only just begun. Thankfully we have you to thank for her timely rescue."

"And if I hadn't been there...?" he asked.

The teacher didn't hesitate. "She would be dead."

Those cold words struck Naruto like a slap across the face.

"Well." he managed eloquently, blinking at her response. "Shit."

Amber tucked her head and gripped her wrist when he glanced at her, unable to meet his gaze. Her sudden reticence led Naruto to believe she knew something he didn't. Something important. Downright vital, even. His mind flashed back to the incredible display of power Amber had brought to bear upon her would-be-assailants. She'd commanded the very elements themselves and nearly lost regardless. Her powers would've been gone, stolen by a party with...less honorable intentions. Granted, he was confident in his own abilities, but could anyone else could stand against a power like that?

Naruto wrinkled his nose, not liking where this was going. Not in the least. "I...feel like I'm missing pieces of the story here."

Qrow snorted. "That's putting it mildly."

"We could use your help, son." Ozpin prodded.

"What, you want me to be a Huntsman or something?" he frowned. "Doesn't really sound like my thing."

"We're not asking you to be a damn huntsman." Qrow took another swig of his flask. "He's asking you to look after her."

...who? Amber? She can look after herself." confusion scrawled across the younger man's face. "Besides, she'll be fine without me-hey?!"

His words warped into a grunt as the huntsman's hand shot out and seized him by the collar; in the next instant he found himself rammed against the nearest wall.

"What are you, dense as a brick? No. She won't. Whoever did this wanted one thing from her." A stern finger jabbed him in the forehead. "Something you don't know about. They're not stupid. They're not going to stop, and she's NOT going to be alright. You hear me?" the words escaped him in a snarl. "They're gonna try again. And again and AGAIN until they get what they want. She might not be so lucky next time. So, unless you expect someone _else_ to fall out of the sky and save her the next time she's in trouble...

With a grunt, he released him.

...man up and take responsibility for your actions!"

Amber fluttered to his side in a burst of motion, quick to clutch at his hand and help him up. Ultimately, it was her expression that began to tip the scales. She'd never asked for this power. Never wanted it. This "gift" had been forced upon her against her will and like him, painted a target on her back. It almost reminded him of the Akatsuki back in his world-no, it _did _remind him of that vile group. If this world had their own version of that organization, people seeking to harness and use those abilities for who-knew-what, uncaring of the lives they took...was he really going to abandon Amber to such a fate? _Could he?_

Didn't stop Qrow from flinging another parting insult at him before he spoke, though. "You're worse than my sister. Coward."

Ohhh how that word_ burned. _

"Coward?!" Amber swung around. "How dare you?! I fought! We fought! Naruto nearly split the sky open when he-mmph?!"

Said blond sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth and clamped a hand over her mouth before she could finish. Too little, too late. Ozpin had already heard and for once, the Headmaster found himself at a loss for words. Qrow was looking at him as through he'd grown a second head. And as for Glynda...well. He didn't know what to make of that half-lidded look of hers. Almost as if she wanted to sit him down and assail him with endless questions just to see what made him tick. This was _precisely_ why he'd wanted to avoid that very subject; a tailed best bomb wasn't exactly subtle even under normal circumstances. He hadn't been subtle back there on the road. Not at all. Not in the least.

"Bah!" Amber wriggled free with a gasp. "Why did you stop me?!"

"Wait." Qrow croaked, suddenly sounding very hoarse. "That was_ him?"_

Gods above, these people were going to think of him as a walking bomb if this kept up.

Worse were Qrow's words; even now they gnawed him like a host of worms, shredding his self control.

_Coward._

"I'm not a...!" the words tasted like ash in his throat even as he spoke them. Wasn't he? He'd broken his word once already, buckled when the chips were down. Unbidden, his hand flew to his stomach, remembering that nearly lethal wound he'd only recently recovered from. Coward. Craven. Qrow's words struck at the very core of his being and laid the truth there bare. In the end, he had valued his life more than his principles. When he had finally fought, it was out of a desperate desire to live, rather than uphold his principles. Who was to say he wouldn't break them again? He _was _afraid. He didn't want to fail. Not again. Never again. Didn't want to lose anymore of himself to the harsh realities of war. He was many things, but a coward? No. Never. Never again.

Naruto didn't realize he'd been _had _until it was too late; by then he no longer cared. He'd made his choice long ago already.

Perhaps, had he realized _earlier_ just how badly Qrow was playing him like a fiddle, he would've reconsidered.

In time, he'd come to thank the drunken old bird for his challenge.

But now...well...at the moment...

He was _seething._

"Alright, alright!" the words burst out of him in a roar as he flung his hands up to the sky. "I'm afraid! There! I said it! Happy now?!" a hysteric laugh bubbled out of him and he clutched at his face in a rare lapse of control and self loathing. "I'm absolutely terrified! Maidens, Grimm, Semblances, Aura...I don't know anything about any of this!" In his peripherals, Glynda shifted half a step forward and he slammed his right foot down, crashing the chair to pieces behind him. "I just survived a war, and by the sound of if, you're ready to throw me into another one!"

"I'm sure Qrow didn't mean-

Ozpin opened his mouth to retort and Naruto _snarled _him into silence.

"No!" he spat at him. "You don't _get_ to talk. None of you do! Do you hear me?!"

In the same motion, he jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards a now-startled Amber.

"None of you were there to fight for her!_ None of you!_ I was! You weren't! Call me whatever you want, but I'm no coward! I'll help you, damnit! But not because of you two and yer damn guilt trip!" He jabbed a finger at a startled Ozpin and Glynda alike, "Because I _choose_ to! Because its the right thing to do! And as for you, bird boy!" temper running hot, he thrust that same trembling finger at Qrow himself. "You'd better shut your mouth before I shut it for you; because this damn girl's the bravest one here-

_Thump._

Something warm and soft pressed into Naruto's back before he could finish his rant, momentarily giving the young warrior pause. It took him a handful of seconds to realize it was Amber; another to hear her sniffling. She had rushed him from behind and all but wrapped her arms around his chest with terrible intensity, as though she were afraid he might turn to smoke at any given moment. Even in his frenzied state, it didn't take him long to put two and two together. She was _crying_, at first for reasons he didn't understand. His spine went rigid, moreso when he realized he was the cause of her distress. By then his blood was well and truly up again. Try as he might, he couldn't think of anything to say.

Say what you would about Amber, but the girl had a _grip_ on him.

Then she started laughing and all sense went flying out the window like a Rasenshuriken.

"Aw, what the hell," he muttered, awkwardly reaching around to pat her head. "I was complimenting you, ya know. Why're ya crying?"

Much to his chagrin, the Fall Maiden only whimpered into his back. "Because I'm happy, you dolt!" she sniffled again. "No one's ever talked about me like that before...

_Like a person._

When the epiphany struck Naruto, it hit like a thunderclap. He'd stood up for her, a simple act of common courtesy from one human being to the other, and here she was acting like he'd given her the bloody holy grail. Did it have something to do with her Maiden status? Had she been treated like a weapon all this time? Or had she simply been unable to connect to others? Was she even allowed to have any friends to begin with? All of the above? He wasn't able to make the distinction and it alarmed him more than words ever could. Unfortunately, before he could act on said realization, _someone_ had to speak.

"Well...you certainly seem confident in your skills." Ozpin interjected awkwardly into the ensuing silence. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order?"

Naruto's brow shot straight up to his hairline. "What?! No! I didn't mean I wanted to _fight_ you! You'd get hurt!"

Qrow beckoned in challenge, fingers twitching. "Who, me? Not bloody likely."

"Jeez," Naruto twitched. "Do you _want _to fight me that badly?"

"Wouldn't be much of a fight." the old crow retorted.

Naruto absolutely twitched this time.

"Alright, that does it!"

Something about Qrow's words -rather, the offhanded manner in which the veteran had spoken- sent a knife of anger lancing through Naruto's head; though he knew not why. He couldn't stand being mocked or belittled by anyone even now, after all he'd been through. Least of all by a stranger who swooped in only after the fighting was done_. _But there was something more to this. He just couldn't...put his finger on it. Qrow's offhanded comment might've reminded him of a certain Uchiha. Perhaps he simply didn't like his tone. Maybe he was secretly spoiling for a fight? Who could say? And his temper? That was feeling just a _touch_ raw at the moment.

Glynda groaned into a palm. "Boys. Take it outside."

What had she said to them just now? Outside? That sounded like an _excellent_ idea right about now.

"Fine. You and me, bub." he jabbed the huntsman's chest. "Courtyard. Five minutes."

"Need your girlfriend to carry you?" Qrow shot back with a smirk.

Amber made a noise between a whine and a groan.

"Uncle Qroooow! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Naruto absolutely hissed at him.

_"You'll eat those words."_

**A/N: Face it, Qrow is everybody's uncle~!**

** BRAWL IN THE FAMILY NEXT CHAPTER!**

**WEREN'T EXPECTING AN UPDATE THIS QUICKLY, WERE YOU?!**

**Naruto's full recovered now; as I've said before, I'm not nerfing anyone in this story. His enemies will have to fight smart in the future. No easy out. No plot armor.**

** Ahhh, this chapter was truly a joy to write.**

**Yes, Naruto's going to get himself a weapon. I've been hinting at it. Care to guess?**

**Oh, and if Naruto does get himself a team...How does N.A.V.Y. (Naruto, Amber, Velvet, Yang," sound to you, dear readers? Or P.A.N.N. (Pyrrha, Amber, Naruto, Neo) is another option. I've got plenty of them. The letters ought to make things obvious. I could do this all day. I'm open to suggestions of course~! I've got big plans and multiple drafts written out already, I just want to hear what you think; as ever, your words are the winds beneath my wings, like long reviews, they keep me flying.**

**Neo and Winter didn't quite get their chance to shine in this chapter...**

**...but that's what the next one is for, mwahaha!**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**(Previews)**

_Fast! That was his first thought as the huntsman blitzed him. He hadn't expected someone, least of all a drunken louse, to accelerate so suddenly. It almost surprised him. Almost. In a tuck, he pivoted and threw a vicious kick at the man's gut._

_Qrow grunted in surprise._

_Then he flew._

* * *

_He still wasn't looking, still wandering the streets, when he slammed headlong into the poor girl. There was no evil intent to warn him, no implicit sense of violence to prepare his muscles in time. She didn't make a sound; even when she toppled backward. Not a grunt. Not a cry. Not even a yelp. He barely even caught her, such was his surprise._

_"Jeez, I'm sorry about that..._

_The girl tilted her head._

_Naruto groaned. "You...don't talk, do you?"_

_An emphatic shake of said head answered his question. __"So what do I call you?"_

_A sign snapped up._

_"N~E~O~?"_

* * *

_"No thanks. I already told your boss I'm not interested in sharing anything with Atlas at this time." A finger thrust itself into her face, cutting off her diatribe. "And before you go on about how this could "benefit mankind" or save the world, stow it. I've seen what chakra can do in the wrong hands. Until you prove yourselves, you're getting nothing from me._

_Scowling, he turned away._

_"Leave me alone, Ice Queen."_

_To her credit, Winter only blinked._

_...I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"_

_Qrow absolutely cackled. "Alright, I'm sold. Kid's a keeper."_

* * *

_"So you're basically able to copy any weapon you take a picture of?"_

_Velvet wilted, her ears all but drooping. __"Well, when you put it like that-_

_"THAT'S AWESOME! Do me!"  
_

_"Wha?!" she squeaked!_

_"Not like that!"_

* * *

_"__But he..._

_Salem tilted her head._

_And the entire world just went...cold._

_"You will try again. And again. No matter how many times it takes. Or you will die. Do you understand?"_

* * *

_"Was it all in vain, then?"_

_A hand settled on Amber's head. "No, never. I met you, didn't I?"_

_Tears welled up in her eyes, the dam threatening to burst. And then it did._

**_R&R~!_**


	3. Into the Fray

**A/N: EDIT: Again with the flames? Seriously?**

**And you wonder why I don't write longer chapters anymore. **

**FOURTEEN THOUSAND WORDS. And more flames and threats than I dare to count.**

**Why am I even doing this anymore if I'm getting more flames than feedback? Its painful at this point.**

**Surgeons may or may not be poking around in me gray matter soon. ****Nothing is certain at this point, given that the tests came back negative, yet my head is still on fire, so they're trying to figure out what's going on. I'm also trying to be whimsical about this...but my thoughts aren't in the best of places right now. Got a few folks, anonymous and otherwise, claiming I'm just trolling about my health issues. Those that threatened violence and made other vile jokes haven been blocked/erased. I'm not going to name them. Please do not harass them or seek them out.**

**Why would I joke about this?**

**Many of you have been with me since I started way back in the early 2000's. You know how shitty my health has been.**

***sighs***

**Again, my thoughts aren't in the best of places right now.**

**Don't think that Ozpin and Qrow are getting away with what the guilt trip they went and pulled last chapter. Glynda won't either. ****Ohohoho, not at all. They get called out on it here and they get called out HARD. Amber and Naruto are more or less the mouthpieces for this story, alongside other characters, and it feels great to breathe life into someone we barely know. Furthermore, because we never got the girl's last name, I'm going to run with the suggestion you've all given me. **

**Autumn.**

**She's a treat to write, and more emotional than most due to her sheltered upbringing. Think of her as an older Ruby. With crazy magic powers.**

**Which brings us to the next item on the agenda. Amber's Semblance? The one my team and I thought up for our dear little Fall Maiden? Absolutely terrifying; scarier than Emerald's and more broken than Pyrrha's own Semblance. I mean, granted, it hurts Amber, but still...it might spook you a bit. Don't believe me? **

**Well. Read on and see, why don't you?**

**Oh, and did you think I forgot about Cinder? NOPE.**

**Miiiiiiiiight want to brace yourselves, this chapter gets heavy. ****And funny. And zany. Hmm. Little bit of everything here, I suppose.**

**I feel I should also point out that Naruto doesn't really understand women unless they're blunt with him. He's getting there of course, but, well...**

_"Trust can be a fragile thing. Once broken, it is not so easily repaired with time._

_But for those who DO trust in one another, those who believe in each other, heart and soul..._

_...well. I suppose it goes without saying that there's no stronger bond than that. Wouldn't you agree?"_

_~Ozpin._

**Into the Fray**

_Everything burned._

Her skin, her muscles, even her very bones; every single cell of Cinder's body was united in complete agony. She'd known pain before. She was no stranger to it. One might even call it an old friend. But this..._this..._she couldn't. She couldn't win against it. She felt like a little girl all over again. She wanted to cry. She did. Even the merest act of breathing made her want to_ die._ Coughing threatened to scorch her already searing lungs to ash like so much dust, reducing each breath to little more than a ragged gasp. It was all she could do just to stay conscious; if she passed out now, she wasn't certain she'd wake up; ultimately, it was this fear that kept her awake.

Her fear of being weak.

Her fear of being powerless.

Her fear of dying here, utterly alone.

Distantly, she became aware of a cool cloth on her forehead; of someone speaking to her. Emerald? Mercury? She couldn't be sure. Why couldn't she see them? Where was everyone? All the world was a blur, but halved somehow. What was wrong with her eye? Someone was holding her now; pushing her upright. She knew it if only because the pain her back became so, so much worse. Someone pressed a bottle of water to her lips and she drank greedily; great, gasping gulps. So thirsty. Her mouth felt drier than the whole of Vacuo right now.

...inder?"

It made the pain worse. So much worse. Still she drank her fill and more.

"Well, she's alive." Ah. That was certainly Mercury's voice. "That's a plus, I guess?"

Cinder scowled. At least, she thought she did. Then she swung what she _hoped _was her arm upward to smack him. Judging by his startled grunt and thud that followed, she'd more than succeeded. A small, spiteful sort of satisfaction swelled up inside her heart. Ha! That would teach him to mock her.

"Yup. Definitely alive." came the accompanying groan. "Damn, even cooked alive she's got more spirit than you, Em."

A faint moan answered her. "Hate you. Hate you so much right now."

Oh. The girl was alive. That was good, she supposed.

"Where...

Oh gods, her voice.

Her hand flew to her throat. Wait. H_and?_

"Now, boss, just calm down." Mercury croaked. "You were in a bad way-

Cinder bolted upright, burned skin screaming at her even as her voice faltered. Rage swallowed the pain for a moment, and just a moment, she could stand. She could move. She could see. She almost wished she couldn't for what followed. Mercury had dragged her and Emerald to a cave, dark and dank, only faintly illuminated by the rising light of dawn. That was good at least; they were hidden away from prying eyes. Was than an airship she heard in the distance? She spared a glance for her pawn and found her was a bruised mess, one of her eyes swollen shut. Mercury wasn't much better off. Cinder didn't care. She was more concerned about herself.

Her weak legs carried her three steps, fear hammering in her heart, before they finally buckled.

Then the pain seized her again and she collapsed to the floor once more.

Somehow she dragged herself to the nearest puddle.

She shrieked at what she found there. Incredulous, her lone eye gazed back at the severed stump of her right arm, ending well above her shoulder. And her eye?! Frantically she pawed at the left side of her face, only to find charred skin greeting her grasp. She didn't want to look. Didn't want to see. But the puddle told all Her hair wasn't much better -Mercury had cut her ruined locks boyishly short while she slept- but at least that could at least grow back. Her body...was another matter. She was ruined. Her face was scarred and judging by the pain, her body was in a similar state beneath her dress. Her voice might yet return, but what of the rest of her? She was ruined. Ruined.

Salem would be furious.

Her lone eye shed a single tear of despair.

This was a bad dream. Surely it must be. It wasn't supposed to be this way...

"No." she mumbled, words tumbling to her lips as she clutched at her face. "No, no, _no..._

She lay there for what felt like an eternity. And as she lay there, her mind began to _think. _To rage. To plan.

That girl -Amber!- had done this to her. Unleashed all her fury upon her; all her rage, all her hate. Such was the might of the Fall Maiden. She wanted that power. Needed it. Didn't she? Her mind flashed back to the final moments of her battle. Hadn't she seen a power greater than that? Yes. The boy. He'd all but dismantled her plans. Batted poor Emerald about like a chew toy and laid Mercury out with a single punch. He'd turned into a monster suspiciously like a Grimm, but brighter. Larger. More powerful. Strong enough to split the sky. If not for Mercury, they'd be dead. And Emerald...well. That warrior had been able to resist her illusions. He'd likely seen their faces. That made him even more of a threat. Threats must be eliminated. But that power. It eclipsed that of a maiden. She couldn't stand against it. Force meant nothing in the face of that power. Perhaps not even the power of a Maiden. Unless...

Cinder sat up so sharply that her cohorts jumped.

"Of course!" she cried!

"Ma'am?"

"Boss?"

Cinder waved them down and collapsed shortly thereafter with a satisfied smile. Suddenly the sweet allure of sleep didn't seem quite so deathly. She wouldn't die now. She refused to. For she had a plan. She would need time to recover of course, weeks, perhaps even months to heal. But once she did...well. The heat would have died down by then. And that whiskered warrior wouldn't recognize her now. She barely recognized herself. All the better. A bit of a disguise, keep her hair short, cover up her scars...yes...she rather liked the sound of this idea. It distracted her from the pain. She was beaten, perhaps. But not broken.

No. Not yet.

Not by a long shot.

Cinder smiled softly to herself.

And so her darkest scheme was born.

The strong survived. The weak perished.

This wasn't over. She would have her revenge.

A tiny demented -try deluded!- giggle burst from her lips.

And if that baffling blond kissed her hand by the end of it...why, all the better.

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Amber had...feelings regarding what was about to transpire._

On a certain level the Fall Maiden was looking forward to the match; if only because a small part of she _desperately_ wanted to see Qrow get his feathers ruffled. Just a touch. Just a bit. Alright, a lot. She hoped that lout got himself a big fat black eye for everything he'd said! After all, he and Ozpon had poked and prodded Naruto into an agreement against his will back in the Headmaster's office. Now, while she _was _happy that her precious ally -and dare she hope for more?- would be staying in this world for the time being, she did not like they'd attempted to manipulate her companion. It smacked of deception and if there was one thing she despised, it was being deceived.

On the other hand, Amber was a gentle girl; even as the Fall Maiden, she did not enjoy hurting others...

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" Naruto's irritated voice called across the yard.

"Alright, alright...jeez. You're a _noisy_ brat, ya know that?"

A tiny, traitorous smile seized at Amber's lips.

...well, not unless they _deserved_ it.

At first she'd wanted to believe that this bout would be harmless for the most part; surely neither Naruto nor Qrow were truly so angry with one another as to mangle the other. Not when the former simply seemed wound up by the latter and was looking to vent his anger. Surely once this schoolyard scuffle was over they would let bygones be bygones.

Then Naruto spat something less than flattering and _Qrow_ squawked back a response that turned her cheeks scarlet.

Nevermind. These two were going to _maim_ one another.

She could see it in Naruto's posture; when he stepped out into the sunlight he was half a pace faster than Qrow and thus she caught his eye first. There was...something there in those blazing blue eyes. Not a hunger _per se_, but a need to prove himself regardless. Qrow's words might've struck a touch too close to home for his liking. Whatever the case, she suspected her teacher would find himself in for something of a rude awakening in a moment. Then he decided to nearly stumble into a fountain and her attention went elsewhere.

"Hey, Oz!" the drunken lout called out. "We gonna start this shindig or what?"

Except it sounded more like gibberish. Thankfully Amber spoke fluent Qrow and translated as much.

"Momentarily." much to her chagrin, Ozpin seemed intent on prolonging the inevitable, for reasons Amber didn't understand.

At least they had Glynda on hand to repair any damage inflicted on their surroundings. By all rights, Miss Goodwitch's mere presence negated any potential problems that might arise from this bout. Amber had never met a more capable huntress in her life. Surely she'd keep things from getting out of hand. And if events _did _escalate, Ozpin himself was nearby to put a stop to it. She'd _seen _the Headmaster fight before. At the very least, he would be able to stop Qrow from getting too out of hand.

"Nervous, are we?" Speak of the devil!

"A little." she confessed as the Headmaster himself stepped to her side. "Its funny, I'm not even the one fighting...but I don't want them to get hurt too badly."

"And yet here you are, cheering that young man on." Ozpin pointed out with a bemused glance at her arm. "You seem rather taken with him."

_Because she was._

For the first time in her life, someone had done something for her out of the goodness of their heart. Not for political power. Not because she was the Fall Maiden, not because of her power, or even her Semblance. They'd done it solely out of kindness. Naruto treated her like a normal girl, not some precious piece of porcelain to be locked away from the world. She wanted him to be her partner more than anything. She'd resigned herself to the idea of being an independent huntress for so long -assuming they allowed her to be a proper one at all- that this new hope threatened to give her wings.

There was nothing more precious to her than this tiny flame, which was precisely why she wanted him to kick Qrow in the...!

Ozpin chuckled and Amber's face turned the color of an autumn leaf as she realized she'd subconsciously pumped her fist into the air. Gripping her wrist, she pulled her traitorous limb down and turned aside. Ozpin's gaze followed her like a proud papa hawk; not judging her, just silently amused by her reaction. Oddly enough, his laughter actually angered Amber; if only because it reminded her of his own machinations and the farce that she'd borne witness to. She knew Ozpin had a reason for everything he did, that he did it for the good of mankind, that he sometimes lied, and that it wasn't out of any animosity or spite.

It didn't make her any less furious with him.

"Ozpin." she spoke slowly. "May I have a word with you?"

"Isn't that what we're doing now?" when he saw her expression, something hardened in his gaze. "Very well then. Gentlemen? A moment, if you would."

Naruto snapped off a lazy wave and claimed a perch for himself. Qrow muttered something less than pleasant that was soon drowned out behind another flask. Gods, where did he keep those things? Mildly relieved by the reprieve, Amber drew him aside and sure enough, Miss Goodwitch followed thereafter. She led them away and around a corner, hoping the distance would be enough.

"He saved me." She laid the truth out of for them both in simple terms.

Ozpin blinked at her, baffled by her odd statement. "Pardon?"

"Naruto. Saved. Me." Amber rounded on him, growled the words so slowly, so softly that she believed no one else could hear them. "You know that. I _told_ you that. Countless times, while he slept." She didn't see Naruto's ears twitch in the distance. No, her attention -the smoldering cinders of her all too present fury-was firmly fixed on the man before her. "He threw himself into a fight when he was already half dead without even asking my name. And how did you repay him? You tried to make him feel _guilty_ for wanting to go back home._ Home!_ After all he's been through! Ozpin, how _could_ you?"

His shoulders slumped in what she thought might have been contrition.

"I see." he sighed. "I've made something of a mistake, haven't I?"

"He did what he thought best." Glynda stepped in to defend him. Of course she did. She always took his side whenever they argued. "I'm sure it wasn't his intention-

"No!" Amber snapped her fingers, fingers flecked with the barest hint of flame. "You don't get to talk about this, Glynda! You didn't even try to stop Qrow!"

Those ice blue eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone, young lady."

"The same way you watched yours?!" she shot back.

"Glynda. Enough. Miss Autumn is in the right."

_...what."_

In the face of her damning accusation, Ozpin surprised them both; his admission caused both Amber and Glynda alike to glance back at him. Still, the Fall Maiden bristled in disbelief. She hadn't expected him to actually accept his guilt wholeheartedly, much less lay a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand your frustrations," he continued, staring down into her blazing eyes with a resigned expression. "Rest assured, that was _not_ my intent."

"Not your intent?" Amber ground her teeth, a rare spark lightning heating her gaze as her anger continued to press down on the lot of them. "Then tell me, Ozpin. What is your intent?" she edged half a step forward, face set in stone. "Because the two of you let Qrow run roughshod all over Naruto until he finally pushed back. What purpose did that serve?! What else are you keeping from me?! Is there a reason I saw those Atlas ships in our airspace this morning? Did you summon Ironwood here, too? Why not Winter while you're at it?! Bring the whole bloody military down on our heads!" She'd said it in spite. Sarcasm.

The pair exchanged a reluctant glance.

Amber recoiled in quiet horror. "Ozpin! You _didn't!"_

Glynda realized what was about to happen a second before it transpired. "Amber!"

With that, the girl's Semblance finally slipped its leash and crashed down on the lot of them like a wet blanket.

It began as an unseen tingle down the base of the aspiring huntress's spine, one that wriggled out of her grasp even as she frantically fought to reign it in. Aghast, she tried to reel her emotions back on the line, fearing it was too late. Much to her disbelief, Amber found herself able to do so for the first time in her life. Terror seized her, accompanied by a strange, weightless euphoria. There wasn't any pain. Her Semblance had always been a rogue one, flaring up whenever she was agitated or depressed. She'd never been able to control it reliably. Until now. Now, when she was seething with righteous anger, did she find herself in control. There was just one problem.

She didn't want to master her Semblance.

She wanted to _use_ it. Here. Now. Throw it right at them.

She was well and truly furious now, and _s_he didn't_ want _to calm down.

In a fit of pique, the young Fall Maiden raised her head and her eyes all but _pulsed._

Ozpin flinched as several metric tonnes of _gravity_ came crashing down on his shoulders, but otherwise remained relatively unharmed. He must've raised his Aura as a precautionary measure, to which Amber found herself suddenly and immensely grateful he had. Oh gods. She'd lost herself. She could've hurt him. At least he was alright. The same could not be said of the ground. It splintered like brittle glass and shame colored her features even as she saw the destruction she'd created. Just like that her Semblance slipped away from her again, leaving her reeling and feeling lethargic.

Ugh, she forgotten about the headaches...

"I'm sorry," she groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I didn't mean to...

"Quite alright." Ozpin soothed. "You had good reason to be angry with me."

"Please, try to understand." Glynda interjected before the situation could escalate further. "You'd just been attacked by unknown forces. We thought the city was in danger. And we _didn't_ call James." she paused to let the words sink in, watching the girl's eyes widen. "He came of his own volition. By the time we realized he was here, it was already too late.

"Contrary to popular belief, I didn't _ask_ James to park his fleet on our doorstep." Ozpin groused in a rare lapse of character. "That was his own doing."

"Where the devil is he, then?" her anger sparked back to life immediately. "Where's he hiding?"

"Somewhere on the border, I'd assumed."

Amber swatted his wrist.

_"Ozpin!"_

"I've given him the detailed description of the perpetrators you and Naruto supplied." the headmaster put in reluctantly, massaging his arm. "He wouldn't leave without word of the situation, so I thought to distance him from said situation. Distract him from the boy. Throw him a bone, if you would. If those three show their faces again, we'll find them...and he needn't know about our guest in the meantime. They have enough weapons without learning of his gifts."

"Is that what you think of him?" she challenged. "A weapon? Like me?" An epiphany dawned and Amber's hands flew to her mouth. "Is that what this is all about? You didn't want him to see Naruto?"

"A reasonable assumption, but not quite." Ozpin demurred with a light tap of his cane. "I'd rather he acclimate to our world without the scientists of Atlas looking over his shoulder just yet. Now more than ever given what we've seen of his abilities. He has every right to be treated normally." his gaze softened as it settled on her once more. "Just as you do."

Amber winced, recalling just how spectacular said abilities had proven to be.

But she _hadn't_ led a normal life; she'd held these powers for as long as she could remember.

Why did Ozpin have to baffle her so? There were times when she thought he was nothing but a liar...and then he did this.

A beat of awkward silence pushed itself between teacher and student. Finally, the former released the last of her anger and exhaled in an petulant huff.

"Ozpin. I am going to ask you this _once."_ With a supreme effort of will, Amber mastered the raging swirl of her own emotions and shook off her mentor's attempted deflection. When next she spoke, her tone reminded Oz of someone he would much rather forget. "Do you have a way do send Naruto home or not? Because if you do, if you _lied_ to him just to further your own goals, so help me-

"I did not." Ozpin's reply was instant, the truth spoken without even a moment's hesitation. "Believe me, if I did, we would have returned him to his world by now. From the terrible tale your friend has told, it sounds as if his home is be in dire need of assistance. Were it within my power to do so, I would. You have my word."

...alright. I believe you." Did she really? "But he deserves to know the truth. All of it. Everything you've told me." she folded both arms before her bosom. "Gods know he's fought hard enough."

Ozpin actually hesitated at that remark, considering her words. Then he straightened. "Very well. It may burden him, however. You are aware of this?"

Amber took her lip between her teeth and worried it nervously. Would he still look at her the same afterward?

No! Bad Amber! Bad! Focus! He deserved the truth! "I...yes. I'd like him to know. He should."

Miss Goodwitch planted a hand on her hip. "You think that highly of his abilities?"

Hysterical laughter threatened to burst out of Amber's lips.

Think highly of him? Of course she did! She'd seen Naruto turn into a giant fox! He'd beaten that girl about as if she were a chew toy and crushed her underfoot. To say nothing of his other feats. If he hadn't healed her, hadn't saved her life, if she hadn't seen his sunny personality firsthand...she would've been terrified. When faced with a power like that, you could either deny it and sink into delusion, or accept reality. There was always someone better than you. Stronger. Faster. Amber had seen it firsthand. She could have told them any number of things. She chose not to. Let them gape and gawk when the realized the truth.

Smiling to herself, the Fall Maiden preened vindictively. "I do. You'll just have to see for yourself."

"Shall we then?" Ozpin offered. "I believe we've kept the boys waiting long enough."

THUD. A distant crash caused the unlikely trio to jump.

"Cheap shot, brat!" Qrow's voice snarled harshly.

"You started it, old man!" came the cry.

_"I ain't that old!"_

"Right, then." Ozpin muttered eloquently. "Time to go."

Amber told herself she wasn't nervous. Not really. But as the three of them slunk back into the plaza, her heart began to race. Naruto and Qrow hadn't wasted their time alone. The latter was peeling himself off the street as they came into view, and Naruto's fist was still extended, suggesting he'd been the one to throw the first punch while they were away. He looked...almost satisfied. It was a good look for him. Amber watched him draw his arm back and a tiny little thrill shot through her when he saw her and sauntered over with a wave. She moved to meet him.

"Ya done with your little secret society business?" he asked pointedly.

And _juuuust_ like that, her anxiety ratcheted itself up ten notches. "How much of that did you hear?"

He was blushing; sure enough, the blond's expression proved telling as he scratched a whiskered cheek. "Um...most of it? I've got good ears."

"Is that your Semblance?"

"Told ya," he frowned. "I don't have one of those."

Oh. Right. She'd forgotten. And all but made a fool of herself.

Amber wilted inward on herself; blast it all, he _had_ heard everything, hadn't he? Right. Okay. She could still salvage this. She just had to tell him the truth. Well, the rest of it. Naruto already knew about her powers -she'd told him as much earlier- but he didn't understand their purpose or what a Maiden was, nor what they guarded. She was little more than a human weapon. A key to a door. He was looking at her now, likely waiting for her to admit the truth. Something quailed in her chest. So what if he never looked at her the same way again? She owed him the truth, if nothing else. Even if it hurt. Even if it ruined everything._ No!_ She shook herself. _Stop it! Be strong. Just come out and tell him-_

"Hey. Its not your fault, you know."

Amber jumped upright and clutched her hands to her chest as if she'd been slapped. "Excuse me?"

Naruto's face twitched with a petulant expression. "Seems like you've got a lot on your plate with those powers and all. I know how that feels."

"I'm so sorry for_-wait."_ The Fall Maiden perked up at his unusual choice of words, the tiniest firefly of hope flickering back to life in her guarded chest. "What? You do?"

"Ha! 'Course I do!" the whiskered warrior briefly threw his head back with a wistful laugh, as though he were experiencing a found memory. "I've had people chasing after me for as long as I can remember. If it makes ya feel any better, I was in the same boat you're in now." something in his voice softened, those gentle blue eyes crinkling as they narrowed upon her. "Look, I've been told I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to this kind of thing, but if you need someone to talk to, I can help. I've been there, ya know?"

Her heart cracked.

"So...all of this secrecy...was it all in vain, then?"

Naruto tilted his head, dumbfounded. "No, never. I met you, didn't I? That makes any secret worth it."

Tears welled up in Amber's eyes, the dam threatening to burst despite her best attempts to plug the holes Naruto's words had torn in her defenses. He understood. Someone understood her. For the first time in her life, she'd met someone her age who knew the weight of her burden; one who offered to help her shoulder it. Not out of greed, or want of power, but simple empathy for another human being. It was almost too much for her to bear. No, it was. Still, she stubbornly clung on a moment more out of sheer pride, taking her lip between her teeth as she began to tremble. Her emotions, tamped down until this moment, came bubbling back up.

"I...you can't just say something like that...

The young man blinked back at her. "But we're friends, aren't we?"

Those words knocked another brick out of the crumbling wall of Amber's resistance.

"You know," Naruto remarked, utterly unaware of her raging feelings, "I can't count the number of times those goons from Akatsuki tried to rip Kurama out of me."

Now it was Amber's turn to blink up at him. "Kurama?"

Blue eyes twinkled. "He's...well, I guess you could call him a partner of mine. You should meet him sometime. I think likes you."

_Likes. You._ Amber felt her cheeks turn pink as her brain rebooted itself. Right. She shook herself quickly. Partner. She needed to ask him before someone else-

"Partners?" By the seasons, she'd said aloud without realizing it! "Is that a thing in this world? Sure!" his head bobbed and her world went absolutely scarlet. "I'd love to work with you. Wouldn't want those jerks to come after you again, right?"

Well. That was easier than she'd expected.

"As a huntsman?" Amber dared to prod him further, despite her own silent fears. "I know its not something you said you wanted to do, but-

"Its like being a shinobi, right?" his eyes narrowed when she dared a nod. "I could do that, if its with you. How hard can it be?"

Ah, Naruto. You know not what you hath wrought.

"Eh...eh...eh...

Steam burst from Amber's ears.

She couldn't speak. Words failed her.

No, wait, she could think a few right about now.

_"Yes, yes, yeeeeeeeeeeees! I knew you were the one!" _Critical failure! Meltdown imminent! Try as she might, Amber couldn't hold on any more. It was like trying to hold melting ice between super-heated fingers. Nope! Not! Possible! Any hope of restraint flew out of the window.

Really, it was all his fault this happened.

Naruto could only squawk in surprise as the Maiden blitzed him with a delighted cry, flinging both arms around his neck. If it were a simple hug, he could've mastered himself. But then head crushed against his collarbone, causing his arms to instinctively close around her waist for balance. Of course her legs took _that _cue to leap up, not giving a fig who saw. Momentum caught up to them a heartbeat later and drove the two of them into the ground and tore a great furrow in the street. A flying tackle from a tearful Maiden riding an emotional high? Ladies and gentleman, there is nothing more destructive in all the world of Remnant.

Naruto never stood a chance.

"Ah, young love." Ozpin took another lingering sip of his coffee. "Isn't it wonderful, Glynda?"

"On your left." his fellow teacher warned dutifully.

Amber took that moment to lob a fireball over her shoulder at the surly professor; one that found itself harmlessly batted aside by his cane. Only then did she realize the compromising position she'd fallen into. Well, Naruto was certainly a part of it, but still! By the seasons. She was straddling him with her hips, the fingers of her right hand locked firmly within his, forehead pressed against his own. His certainly looked about red as she felt. Because she'd nearly k-k-k-kissed...! Oh. Oh no. Her emotions had gotten the better of her again.

"Oh!" Amber jerked back and away as if she'd been burned. Words failed her, her head snapping left and right, hair whirling. "I...I...um...well...

"Hey, runt!" Qrow catcalled. "Stop flirting and let go of him already! I still need to kick his ass!"

Amber wanted to scream at her mentor. "Uncle Qrow! _Seriously?!"_

Naruto frowned. "Oh right, forgot about the birdbrain."

"Brat." came the immediate retort.

_"Drunken lout!"_

Just like that the boys were back to circling one another in slow predatory strides, taking the measure of the other like two Beowulf. Oh gods. Making them wait had made things _worse._ Qrow could fight. She knew that much. But she'd seen firsthand what Naruto was capable of; witnessed the eldritch powers he commanded. He'd fired a blast that split the clouds in twain- they'd likely had energy readings all the way in Atlas. Now that Naruto had been given a chance to sleep away his fatigue...well. Someone was going to have a bad time.

Sure enough, when she looked back, Naruto was smiling and Qrow-_well._

Qrow still looked right and properly soused. Nothing out of the ordinary, as usual.

"Sooooooooo?" the huntsman drawled into the calm with only the slightest slur. "How you wanna play this, kid?"

"Quickly." Naruto's grin turned decidedly predatory as he crossed both arms before his chest. "Hit me with your best shot, old man. Don't hold anything back."

"Have it your way." as Amber looked on, her mentor rolled his slim shoulders in a shrug and slipped a hand behind his back to Harbinger's hilt. "Don't come crying to me when you're covered in bruises."

Amber groaned. '_Ugh, boys! Fight already, will you?!'_

"Remember, gentlemen." Ozpin's cane tapped the ground twice as he favored each with a stoic look. "You may fight as you please, but I'd prefer you not destroy my school."

"Don't worry, gramps." the blond swung out his arm in a lazy wave. "I'm not going to drop a Tailed Beast Bomb on anyone's head."

All present parties blinked. "Tailed-What-Now?"

"You know what? Forget it." Naruto sighed, palming his face. "This won't take long."

"Finally!" Qrow cried. "Something we agree on! Can we start already? I'm getting sober over here!"

Glynda pinched the brow of her nose and exhaled in a long suffering sigh, but nevertheless raised her wand as she stepped between the two of them to make ready. Naruto barely spared her a glance as he dropped low to the ground, taking on something of a runner's crouch. Qrow staggered back and draped a lazy hand behind to his weapon. Amber couldn't help but wince. Harbinger was a vicious sword, even for a huntsman. Full of tricks and surprises. She'd fought against it enough times during training to know. Naruto had no such knowledge.

"Very well, then." A beat of silence followed. "Now...

Glynda's wand came crashing down.

_"Begin!"_

Naruto didn't hesitate; those words had only just left her lips when he struck.

Qrow was only half a heartbeat behind, a ferocious grin tearing across his pale visage.

_Fast!_

That was his first thought as the huntsman blitzed him in a blur of grey and silver. He hadn't expected someone, least of all a drunken louse, to accelerate so suddenly, least of all whip out their weapon that fast. It almost surprised him. Almost. Swaying around the second sweep, he pivoted and slammed a vicious elbow into the man's spine, sending him tumbling forward three steps into the street. When he rushed him, the man's sword hit the street in an explosive strike, spraying a wave of stones into his face.

"Alright." the huntsman allowed as he straightened his back. "I felt that one. Lets see you do it again!"

Naruto took a stance, gave himself to the flow of battle and let his instincts have sway as his opponent closed the distance between them. As he'd expected, Qrow's combat style proved itself elusive as it was rapid; quickly narrow the gap between them in a flowing flock of blows that battered against his defenses like a great storm of wings. Ever seeking, constantly probing his defenses, rattling his guard for even the most minute of openings.

Naruto found one first.

Twin fists collided in a shuddering shockwave as their knuckles struck one another head on, the sudden impact sending the leaves of fall flying away with a sudden wind that blew Amber's hair back from her face. At such close proximity, Glynda was forced to raise her guard against the subsequent gale. Ozin raised a brow in mild surprise, mildly amused by the display. That brow rose further still when Naruto kicked Harbinger free from his opponent's grasp, causing the two men to abandon their opening moves and grapple instead. The result of that contest proved apparent almost immediately.

Within moments Naruto forced Qrow backwards. Literally.

First one step.

Then two.

Three.

Inch by determined inch the jinchuuriki frog-marched his opponent backward, boots grinding against the pavement with each successive step. Qrow's strained snarl was music to his ears, muscles jumping in his forehead as he fought and failed to push him back. Where was all that bravado now? Gone with the wind. Naruto wasn't ordinarily the sort to revel in combat, but there was just something so cathartic about this. Nor was the old bird going anywhere at that; his grip was ironclad. Naruto had half a mind to push the snarky bugger into the fountain. Cool his head off...among other things.

**"Aren't we overdoing this a little?"** Kurama scoffed. **"You could've knocked him out by now."**

Naruto growled._ 'Shut up and let me have this, furball."_

**"Oho? Showing off for Amber are we?"**

Naruto's face turned rosy.

_'That's not-_

**"No, no, no! I understand, partner. Truly I do."** much to his dismay, the fox took his words and ran with them, snickering all the while.** "She's a young woman; one who just tackled and straddled you. You're at that age now, hormones and all, not to mention you're an impressionable young man easily swayed by the fairer sex. And she is quite fair...**

_'Can we not have this conversation now?! I'm trying to fight here for crying out loud-_

A boot slammed into his groin and both fox and shinobi snarled as one.

"Bastard!_/**BRING ME HIS HEAD**_**_!"_**

"Well, well!" Qrow drawled with a smile as the blond doubled over with a hiss. A hand seized the blond's hair and dragged his head up. "Looks like you _can_ take a hit. Color me surprised."

He wasn't prepared for the grin.

Naruto exploded into motion; there was no other word for it. One moment Branwen thought the battle won-the next he found the kid suddenly sprouted a staff from nowhere. A staff that sent Qrow spinning into the street with a dislocated shoulder and a bruised collarbone to boot. A boot stomped after his head and the stone _shattered _underfoot beneath its force when he rolled out of the way. Qrow popped the limb back in and twisted to slam a kick against the blond's side, only to find himself caught and flung away like the very leaves they had only just scattered moments before. Once again he caught himself, but remarkably, the blond didn't pursue.

Instead, he leveled that strange ringed staff at him. "You realize of course, that this means war."

"Not gonna use those copies of yours?" came the taunting retort. Worked like a charm.

Naruto twitched. "No. I don't need a shadow clone to kick your ass." After a moment's consideration, he banished his weapon to boot. "I don't even need this."

Qrow knelt to retrieve his blade. "Fair enough. Game on."

They collided with a roar and began raging back and forth across the plaza in a mad waltz of drunken proportions; their movements near invisible to the naked eye. Finally when Qrow swung high, Naruto went low. The faintest breeze brushed the back of his head as he tucked in once again and pivoted on his heel. It would've been so easy to smash a Rasengan into his stomach. He chose not to. Instead the faintest golden shimmer coasted his fist as he struck back. Not at full strength of course; he didn't want to pop the poor man's head off, no matter how much he might dislike him.

Just a good punch to the face, he decided. Knock him out, end this quickly, and get back to business.

Imagine his surprise then, when Qrow took it right on his chin and twisted with the force of the blow to bring the blunt end of his blade crashing down on his head. His skull rang like a bell and snapped down. It didn't so much sting as it did startle him; there was not a hint of malice behind the blow. Right. That tore it, then. No more holding back. If the bastard wanted to fight dirty? He'd get dirty.

"Alright. Point to you...is what I would say if you'd actually hurt me."

His body burst into a plume of smoke and too late, Qrow realized he'd been had.

"You say Aura can protect you from most attacks?" a voice hissed in his ear. "Good to know. Then you shouldn't feel this at all."

Qrow's eyes should have saved him; indeed, the faintest flicker of motion in his peripherals gave the huntsman more than ample warning. It wasn't enough. No. Not nearly enough. For all his skill, he simply lacked the speed to react in time. By the time he'd thought to turn, even as he began to move, he'd inadvertently sealed his fate. His opponent had already moved to his flank, snapped into existence behind him. Body held low to the ground, boots dug in, fingers clenched in an unfamiliar shape. Then those very fingers shot up at a vicious angle with sound and aplomb to strike his

_"Hurk?!"_

Naruto's voice cried out in vicious vengeance as Qrow shot into the air like a rocket. _**"A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!"**_

The women present turned seven shades of scarlet as the poor Huntsman sailed into the air.

Ozpin merely raised his mug to his lips and drank in quiet appreciation.

As for Qrow? He felt every bit of it.

He...was not amused.

Physically the man was still mostly intact. Mostly. Alas, the same could not be said of Qrow's shattered pride as he crashed into the ground, writhing paroxysms of agony as he clutched his rear end. He thought he'd known pain. It was something of an old friend, one he'd learned to ignore when necessary. He'd been in his share of scrapes before; faced down hordes of Grimm, fought his drunken sister, found himself on the receiving end of one Summer Rose's wrath when she once ran out of coffee. The agony he was currently experiencing obliterated any of those. This...this was hell. The laughter of a certain blond only served to further exacerbated his torment.

"Oh, dear!" Naruto's voice sang out above him. "That looked _painful!_ Turnabout is fair play, as they say!"

Rage, as they say, is a hell of an anesthetic. It had Qrow right back on his feet, red as a rose and thrice as furious.

"You little brat!" Harbinger snapped upright in his grasp, gears grinding furiously. "When I get through with you you're gonna be-

Why did he smell smoke?

A grin greeted him. "Aaaaand bang goes the birdie."

Too late, Qrow beheld the strange note stuck to the edge of his cape -heard its telltale crackle- in all its smoldering glory. Red eyes bulged.

He'd been duped. Again. Clever little shit.

Naruto laughed. Qrow roared. "YOU-

_Bang._

When the low-powered flash went off, his Aura took the brunt of it and prevented any real injury on his part. It did not, however, save Qrow's vision. Coughing and hacking against the smoke as much as the sudden flash bang, the old bird stumbled free from the black cloud, angrier than he'd ever been. He'd get his sight back soon enough, but gods, that shit _burned!_

It didn't burn as badly as the a flying Rasengan that collided with his backside.

To its credit, his Aura held out. But only just.

_Now _there was pain; because not only did the spiraling sphere smash Qrow facefirst against the asphalt, it just kept going. Spirits, he wasn't even sure when it stopped; by the time it did, his back was all but shrieking at him, and his Aura levels left nearly depleted by pain. A lesser huntsman with a weaker constitution might have thrown in the towel. Not Qrow. Didn't mean he was in any hurry to get up after that, though. His mind took the opportunity to assess just how badly his arse was being handed to him.

What the hell was going on here? This kid was picking him apart!

"Oh, good. You survived." Was it him, or did the kid sound almost sheepish just now? "Sorry about that. I lost my head for a second."

Qrow punched his good arm into the ground. Loudly.

Repeatedly.

For all his sense and experience, he just couldn't keep up with him like this. Couldn't match him. The brat was faster. Stronger. Not all that brilliant in the realm of strategy when compared to an elite hunter such as himself, but he didn't have to be. His strength and speed more than made up for any lack of tact to win him the day. And the kid _was _winning, make no mistake. He hadn't been beaten this badly since Summer was pregnant. Just the thought of it sent a shudder shooting down his spine. Sure enough, his vision began to clear as he picked himself, though no further attack came.

Damn brat was waiting for him when he got up, arms crossed before his chest. "Ready to throw in the towel?"

"Gee, lemme think abou-NO!"

With a wrench of his wrist, Qrow swung his blade back and squeezed its trigger.

Harbinger responded all too gleefully to his command; her gears shifted, circuits writhed, then twisted as her sword form separated by halves. Metal bent inward, plates folding out to bend the blade up and backwards in a ghastly new shape. Another twist and the handle extended, bringing the warped weapon to bear over his shoulder. Within moments, the sword was no more and for the first time since their impromptu duel had begun, Naruto's face had lost its pleasant smile. Then it bloomed tenfold.

"Did you sword just turn into a bloody_ scythe?"_

"Surprised?" Qrow hefted his transformed tool with a flinty flourish. Finally felt like he was in control of the fight again, however brief it might be.

"Yes, actually." the boy's grin was...not all at what he had expected. "That's freakin' metal. Where can I get something like that?"

Amber slapped her forehead. "What is it with boys and weapons?!"

Qrow couldn't help himself. He started laughing.

On one hand, he wanted to gut the boy thrice over for catching Amber's eye. Professional pride, really. She wasn't family, but she was his student. On the other, he found himself almost...dare he say it...enjoying this little spat of theirs. Kid knew how to fight if nothing else, and his unique brand of sass had begun to brow on the elder huntsman. He still wanted to break his jaw of course, but now it didn't feel quite so personal. For better or worse, the whiskered warrior had found his spine and nothing short of a knockout blow was going to stop him now. He could respect that if nothing else.

"Jeez!" he sighed, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye. "You know what? You're alright. Tell you what." Harbinger swung up onto his shoulder. "You beat me, we'll let you you build any weapon you want. Even a scythe like mine, if you think you can handle it."

"Wait, is that a thing here?" Naruto tilted his head, enthusiasm waning. "Staves and knives are more my speed...

"Eh," Qrow shrugged. "Pretty sure Glynda wouldn't mind showing you a thing or two."

Miss Goodwitch absolutely sputtered at him. "I beg your pardon?!"

Judging by Amber's pleased expression, he'd done good.

The blond's expression? Whole other level.

_"Really?!"_

"Yeah," he grunted, preening. Kid almost reminded him of Ruby with that enthusiasm. "I know a guy."

"I believe that sounds like a wager." Oz called from the sidelines. "Shall we make it one?"

Both men paused long enough to flip him off before facing one another yet again.

"That thing got a name?" Naruto inquired, slipping back into a second stance.

"Sure does." Qrow scoffed. "Her name's Harbinger. By the way. Duck."

Naruto did just that; body bending near parallel to the ground and _staying _at that impossible angle as Harbinger swept harmlessly over his head. A few golden hairs fluttered to the ground as his legs scissored up to catch Qrow hard in the chest. With his Aura nearly depleted and his body overextended, the huntsman had no choice but to weather the blow with Harbinger's hilt. He immediately regretted that decision when the blond hooked his heel around the handle and swung himself upright to smash through his guard. Qrow's ribs creaked ominously. More so as he shot headlong into the air again. Thankfully with his dignity intact this time around, but still. He wasn't about to let the runt get the drop on him again.

_'Screw it.'_

With a thought, he transformed into his avian form, caught a gust of wind, and alighted upon a nearby lamp-post out of harms way.

"Well." Naruto blinked up at him and whistled softly at the sight. "That's new. Where'd you learn that?"

It was Ozpin's turn to chuckle. "I'm afraid that's something of an acquired skill."

The blond shrugged. "Alright, then. You coming down or what?"

"Nah." Qrow reverted with a smirk. "Come get me."

He didn't expect the smile.

_"Sure."_

Blue eyes blazed gold.

Too late Qrow realized his mistake; too late did he see Naruto's boots slam against the street in quick succession. Once. Twice. Thrice. He watched the youth's his legs tense -saw the street buckle!- as though he'd released some previously unseen weight. He dropped into something of a runner's crouch and the street buckled further still as he dug his hands in. Qrow began to spin Harbinger into a defensive loop before him, but he feared it wouldn't be enough. By the seasons. This was going to hurt. He needed to dodge. Or block, at the very least move-

Gold orbs dominated his vision.

And once more, there was only pain.

Qrow didn't see the punch connect, didn't see his body fly; didn't see himself skip like a stone across the street, didn't hear himself crash through a building and out the other side. Didn't feel the last of his aura gutter out pitifully. But he certainly _felt_ the wall when it fell on top of him. It took more than a few second for him to climb out of his rubble. Sure enough, a stray chunk came down and bashed him in the head. Blasted Semblance. Blasted bad luck. It was a miracle he was even conscious at all. Judging by the approaching footsteps, it wouldn't be for long.

A shadow fell over him.

Groaning, he dared to look up.

...this was going to hurt, wasn't it?

That was Qrow's first coherent thought as reality rushed back.

"Right, I felt that." he grunted. "We gonna finish the little shindig or what?"

Naruto's lips twitched, then spasmed before his own voice finally betrayed him.

"I'm going to punch you now." he began to crack his knuckles. "I don't know when I'll stop."

Qrow sketched a sloppy bow from where he lay, fingers tight on Harbinger's hilt. "I'd be dissapointed if you didn't."

In a final desperate move he rolled and cut up at him in a silver hue, aiming to finish the fight. Naruto ducked the first, stepped back from the second, deflected the third with a sweep of his boot, even as a fourth rammed at his unprotected midsection. He ducked under the follow-up punch and dropped low to sweep his legs, leaving the opening Qrow had been waiting for. A triumphant smile stretched across his visage. In a single bound he vaulted over the blond's counter, spun his scythe to ward off an aerial attack, and struck down; fully prepared to bring Harbinger howling at his head...

"Gotcha!"

...and the kid caught his damn scythe.

A glowing hand snapped up to interpose itself between Harbinger's curved metal and his face at the last moment, pale fingers casually holding the deadly weapon at bay as one might an annoying twig. Even as he held the blade at bay he stood, dragging the weapon with him. Well, shit. He'd not expected that one. No matter how much he struggled or strove, Qrow couldn't extricate it from his grasp. He redoubled his efforts, to which Naruto hung his head and blew out an angry breath, a lone sigh misting out into the cold air in a scorching plume of hot steam.

"Calm down."

Something about those words instantly set the huntsman on edge. "Who're ya talking to? Me?"

"No." the reply was instant, the words carrying a harsh undercurrent to them that hadn't been there before. "Not y**ou...Kurama."**

Naruto's head rose and in place of those mild golden eyes, sinister scarlet slits silenced Qrow's smile. There was something...wrong with those eerie orbs. As though some great beast were looking back at him from within the gaze of a man. He had no way of knowing just how right he was. The abyss stared at him and Qrow gazed back. A grievous grin greeted him, grim and grey. Qrow's tugging intensified, but Harbinger still wouldn't so much as budge. He was about to let go of it, fight on with his fists, when a hand seized him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him forward.

**"My turn."**

Qrow gulped. "Well, shit."

That grin turned oddly sunny. **"Indeed."**

Without so much as a warning, Naruto yanked him in and delivered a vicious headbutt. Qrow's world exploded into a thousand stars. Gah?! What kind of skull was this?! It felt like he'd hit a Bullhead! In the end, he never did get an answer to that unspoken question. Why you ask? Because he wasn't awake to ask it. Naruto's fist snapped forward like a piston.

And Qrow flew.

The blond realized his mistake instantly; in his determination to end things, he'd inadvertently sent the man sailing toward Glynda.

"Hey, watch it!"

Miss Goodwitch merely rolled her eyes and swiped left with her wand, sending the old bird crashing into -and soon through- the fountain opposite her with a mighty splash. Said fountain promptly crumbled atop Qrow's prone form. He did not rise again. Naruto palmed his face with a groan. He wasn't entirely satisfied with that outcome, but at least the man wouldn't drown in the fountain. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully? Another chunk of stone fell free and struck the huntsman on the head. Naruto winced, the last of his anger guttering out into a quiet pall of pity. Oh, that looked painful...

Amber winced.

Oz whistled softly.

"Impressive, most impressive. That was quite the rebuttal." His head turned toward the ruined fountain. "Do you have anything to add, Qrow?"

"Hrngle." came the verbose reply as the battered man raised a bruised fist and accepted his defeat. He did not get up.

"Quite." Ozpin made of a show of adjusting his glasses. "Now that we've concluded that bit of business...here."

A small card sailed toward Naruto; to his credit, the blond caught it easily. "What's this?"

"Lien." Oz explained. "A form of currency for this world. Think of it as a reward."

The blond blinked in mild consternation. "I didn't bet anything."

Glynda's sour expression proved most telling.

"No, but _I_ did."

That was all the excuse Amber needed to saunter over to them; though there was a smug satisfaction in her eye that somewhat set him on edge...and not in a bad way. Her stride was quick and determined, her bright gaze holding his like a laser. In the background, the rest of Ozpin's words dissolved into silent static. Naruto barely heard him. He wasn't entirely sure he _liked _the look she was giving him at the moment. Nor did she seem to be in any hurry to reach him. Torn somewhere between fight or flight, he nevertheless stood his ground as she approached.

Sure enough, Kurama creaked an eye open again.

**"You really know how to pick 'em, don't you? Look at those hips."**

Naruto swore._ 'Don't say anything else. I swear by all that is holy, if you say ANYTHING-_

When she finally reached him, the first thing she did was take hold of his tattered shirt and tear it right off his shoulders.

Shinobi and Tailed him blinked, utterly aghast. How quickly the turns tabled.

**"Our body isn't ready!" **Kurama wailed!

_'OUR body?!' _Naruto nearly squawked.

"Good job." the Fall Maiden said, heedless of their confusion. "You really cleaned his clock. Ruined your shirt, though. See?"

"Whuzzat?" Naruto answered eloquently.

Only then did he dared a glance at the ruined scrap of fabric in her grasp. Calling it a scrap would be generous at this point. It was little more than a rag by now. One filled with holes. Thankfully his pants had at least held out better than his shirt. But did she have to tear it off? Did she even realize her actions? Amber must've; because her dark face began to burn immediately thereafter. It started as a slow flush building at the base of her neck and spread life wildfire, consuming her entire face in an instant. He was fairly certain his own face stood a similar shade of scarlet.

"W-Well!" She sputtered and flung his ruined shirt back at him. "I mean, we're getting you a new outfit. Effective immediately!"

"I'll have miss Goodwitch fetch something for him in the meantime." Ozpin put in genially. "Perhaps a spare uniform?"

_'Uniform?! Nobody said anything about that!'_ Naruto's face turned ashen, but he bit his tongue.

Glynda exhaled in a put upon sigh and stalked away to do just that.

"I'm sure she'll find something in your size."

Naruto tried to put on a smile and to quail at Amber's earlier words. Shopping for clothes was in a word, hell. Didn't matter if you were doing it for yourself or someone else. Why, just the thought of it made him shake like a leaf. His feet twitched treacherously beneath him, wanting to bold. No! Bad legs! Stay put. But they couldn't, and he found himself starting to pace in place. He _loathed _shopping.

Sakura had tried it once.

ONCE.

Still, the thought of doing it with Amber didn't seem so bad by comparison as she continued to fret and fuss over him. From what he'd seen of her so far, she wasn't like to force an outfit on him that he disliked or drag him on for endless hours cooing about shoes. Even if she kept stealing glances at his chest. That spurred an odd feeling in him, one he couldn't quite pin down. Amber was...nice he supposed. He felt comfortable in her presence. Kurama's laughter made it worse. Bastard knew something he didn't, but what...?

Then a gigantic, hulking, metal bird swooped into the yard and he forgot all thoughts of shopping.

_"The hell is that thing?!"_

Naruto couldn't think of any other word for that abomination; but he certainly knew how to react. By yelling. Loudly. Profusely. Monster! Beast! Behemoth! The sight of it made him summon up his cloak without thinking, body snapping back into vivid shades of gold and black. Probably for the best, given the state of his...attire, not so given the situation.

"I take it you've never seen a Bullhead before." Amber put in coyly.

**"How and in what way does _that_ resemble a bull?!"** Kurama roared inside his head. **"Libel! Slander! Lies and falsehoods!"**

"Ozpin." Amber growled the word through a tight smile that looked entirely too sweet to be real, "I thought you said Ironwood wasn't here."

The Headmaster facepalmed. "He _wasn't."_

Blast it all, this was _precisely_ the sort of scenario that he'd hoped to avoid.

Too late, he realized Naruto was still glowing like...well...a beacon for lack of a better word.

"I don't suppose you can turn back time?" He received a firm shake of the head for his efforts. "No? Of course not."

Thankfully Glynda chose that moment to return with fresh clothes; and not a second too soon at that. Ozpin all but blurred as he snatched them from her. Not a heartbeat later they landed in Naruto's waiting arms. To his credit, the boy was already moving them before he spoke again. Say what you would, but the boy was a blur. Amber only squeaked once as his trousers flew over her head. Thankfully miss Goodwitch was quick to flick it away...right at Qrow's face. Poor man. He still hadn't gotten out of the fountain. Naruto must've really knocked him for a loop.

"Quickly, now." he instructed as Naruto struggled valiantly with the jacket. "Stop glowing and put these on. We can't afford to draw anymore attention to you."

"Unless you'd rather be taken away." Glynda put in teasingly. "I hear Atlas is lovely this time of year."

Amber swatted her elbow as Naruto's head popped out of the shirt with a groan.

"Seriously?"

In the end, luck was with them; for the young man finished just in time.

As Naruto looked on in quiet trepidation, a smartly dressed man with dark hair and keen eyes descended the ramp, flanked by a pair of what he assumed to be soldiers. He felt...tense? Even with his cloak still active and his superior sensing abilities, he couldn't quite get a read on the man. The woman behind him was a different mater. Only a half step behind him came a young lady -officer?- with bright, piercing eyes and drawn hair the color of snow. For all that, she was young. Near his own age. Yet she felt rigid, her emotions bubbling beneath a thin veneer of frosty formality. Naruto wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Still, with hair like that, she probably had a name to match. He wasn't far off the mark.

"That will be all, Winter. At ease."

A sharp- if-somewhat uncertain salute greeted him. "Yes, sir."

Then the well-dressed man turned a glance _their_ way. "Is that him?"

Naruto flicked a tortured look toward Ozpin, and surprisingly, the Headmaster stepped in to intercept Ironwood with a firm embrace. "James. You're early."

"What can I say?" the newcomer smiled as they parted. "I wanted to see our new friend for myself; and I wasn't dissapointed."

Ozpin's smile turned a touch brittle. "I see. I wasn't aware you were watching, old friend."

Amber went terribly still. See for himself? Wasn't dissapointed?

That implied he had been watching them.

With everyone so focused on the raging bout below, they'd failed to notice the Bullhead circling higher above. With Atlas technology, it wasn't far-fetched to guess what Ironwood had seen or how he'd seen it. Naruto and Qrow hadn't exactly been subtle towards the end there. Her mouth twitched. No. Not subtle at all. Still, at least Ironwood was distracted for the time being as Ozpin continued to field his questions. She exhaled softly. One crisis averted for now at least.

Not so his second in command.

Why, you ask? Because she was making a beeline right for them.

Amber buried her head into Naruto's shoulder with a tiny groan. "Oh, no."

"What? What's wrong? Are they bad guys?" came the whisper. "They certainly don't _feel_ like it."

"No." she hissed back frantically, eyes flitting to his when he didn't react. _"Good_ guys. That's the problem!"

_"Eh?"_

Before Naruto had a chance to ask what the devil she meant, much less voice his concerns, Winter was well and truly upon them. Her gaze swept over the pair and alighted upon Qrow, still draped across the fountain like some broken statue. Her pale brow rose marginally. Was that the ghost of a smile on her lips just now? No, surely not. Amber didn't like the queasy feeling it gave her. It felt like an angry flame burning in her chest. Even moreso when those icy orbs settled upon Naruto.

"Impressive." the specialist's hum was cool, almost frigid to her ears. "You knocked Qrow down a peg. Well done."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Thanks?"

Kurama beamed. **"Oooh, I like her!"**

_'You would. Now shush!'_

"Winter Schnee." the woman extended her hand cordially. "A pleasure to meet you."

Naruto considered her hand for a long moment, feeling somewhat at a loss. Amber was of no help at all; she wouldn't even look at him, but she wouldn't let go of his arm, either. Had he done something wrong? Why was Kurama laughing at him again? When he returned his attention to the fair-haired woman and found himself at something on an impasse. But after another moment's consideration -and with the faintest exasperation!- he reluctantly reached out and clasped it with his own. "Naruto Uzumaki. Same." Well! Winter certainly had a strong grip going for her, if nothing else. Unfortunately, in shaking her hand, he opened the floodgates.

"Well. It seems you have something of an admirer." Wait. Why did Amber sound angry? Had he done something wrong?

Only then did Winter deign to notice her, leaning back to appraise the smaller girl with a quiet air. "Amber. You're looking well."

"Schnee." the girl's mouth curled in what might have been a smile. It didn't much look like one. "How very...nice to see you again. How's Atlas?"

The Schnee's mouth formed a thin line of displeasure. "Well enough." she said after a moment's pause, choosing her words with careful intent. "I can't complain."

"You sure its not too cold?" Amber's fingers bit into Naruto's arm, drawing a pained hiss from her partner-to-be. "I'd understand if things were a little...frigid. Trying to warm up, are we?"

**...by the Sage. they're trying to kill each other with words."** there was a strange note of what sounded disturbingly like awe in Kurama's voice just now.** "I didn't think it was possible. I'm taking notes."**

_'Is that what they're doing?'_ Naruto tilted his head until it was nearly horizontal._ 'I thought they were just being friendly.'_

**"Boy, you can be denser than a brick when it comes to women!"**

"How's your little sister?" the blond's attention snapped back as Amber's voice plucked at his ear. "I understand she'll be attending Beacon soon."

"Of course." Winter retorted, folding both arms before her bosom. "A Schnee always aims for excellence. We have high standards and respect strength."

Amber's gaze sparked with golden flames.

_"How quaint."_

Naruto looked left.

Naruto looked right.

Naruto looked left yet again.

"Right, so I'm just going to step _baaaack_ a bit here...

_Naruto_ realized he was missing something and wisely decided to butt out. He didn't much understand women these days, but he knew a spat when he saw one. All the while the barbed insults subtly continued to escalate in the background. He nearly got away. Almost. So close, yet so far.

Winter's hand locked around his wrist.

"Hurk!?"

Now to be fair, Amber knew Winter, though only through loose association. They'd met a handful of times before when Ironwood had deigned to visit. She couldn't quite call the woman cold, just...reserved. Her temper could burn quite hot when roused, but only a scarce few knew that. Winter was vicious in a fight when pressed, but she didn't really go out of her way to express interest in people. People who weren't Ironwood, at least. So why was she actively going out of her way to speak with Naruto, much less grab his arm.

She soon had her answer.

"You displayed a number of fascinating techniques during your battle, not to mention summoning your own familiar." Aha. There it was. Leave it to Winter to cut to the chase. "Would you be willing to share just how you-

In the end, she needn't have worried; because Naruto's goodwill evaporated like so much steam.

"No thanks." Much to Amber's delight, there was an angry arch to her partner's voice when he replied one not even she herself recognized. Perhaps it was common sense. It might have been anger. "I'm not interested in sharing anything with Atlas or anyone else at this time." A finger thrust itself into her face, cutting off her diatribe before it could begin. "And before you go on about how this could "benefit mankind" or save the world, stow it. I've seen what chakra can do in the wrong hands. Until you prove yourselves, you're getting nothing from me. No. Less than nothing. I don't even know you. And you're asking me this? Are you crazy?"

Her hopeful expression collapsed in on itself.

Scowling, he tore his arm free and turned away. "Leave me alone, Ice Queen."

To her credit, Winter only blinked.

...I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"

Qrow absolutely cackled from the fountain as Glynda pulled him free from the wreckage.

"Alright, I'm sold. Kid's a keeper."

In the background, Ironwood and Oz had fallen silent. Until now. Not from any real lack of discussion mind you; the spectacle unfolding before them was simply too rare for either to ignore overlong. Now that it dissolved into a glare match between the unlikely trio, Ozpin found himself forced to face the music. Well, best to bite the bullet before it shoots you as the saying goes...

"Well? You've seen him now." the Headmaster offered. "What do you think of him, James?"

"Honestly?" Ironwood frowned. "I'm not sure what to think. He's...erratic to say the least. You're certain he's the one?"

"There can be no doubt in my mind." Ozpin answered. "Without him, we would've lost the Fall Maiden. He may be our single best chance at winning this war."

"That may well be, but...wait. Where did he run off to?"

When the Headmaster dared to look back, the blond was conspicuously absent.

And miss Schnee...well. The poor was all but red in the face. Scarlet, even.

Wait. Why was Amber waving a him? Was that a note in her hand?

Ozpin sighed. "He does that sometimes. You'll get used to it."

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

Naruto needed to get away; needed to breathe.

And so he'd done the only thing he could think to do.

He'd run. Hard and fast, without pausing to look back at anyone.

In hindsight, there were probably more compelling reasons, but he couldn't think of one. He hadn't _meant_ to just up and bolt, to leave Amber and the others behind with a hastily scrawled note, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. Just as he hadn't intended to bolt in the direction of the city as he had. He'd simply picked a point and darted off before anyone could rope him into another argument. And there _would _be an argument when he returned. Of that much he was certain. He'd stirred the pot too much with that Schnee girl to escape without a tongue lashing.

Kurama's opinion of Winter, however, had changed. **"How dare she call me a familiar! To think I almost fancied her!"**

"Well," Naruto put in as he vaulted over roadblock, "Maybe she meant it as a term of endearment-

**"Apologize!"** the old fox snarled back at him.

"What?!" he jolted. "What did _I_ say?!"

**"APOLOGIZE!"**

"Alright, alright!" the blond threw his hands out at his sides and caught a lamp post, swinging himself atop it to draw an odd look from passerby. _"Grumpy much?!"_

Now as he came to a halt and gazed out at the town below, he realized he might have made a mistake. Running had seemed like a good idea at the time; he'd intended to return of course, but not anytime soon. Sure enough Beacon Academy loomed as a faint silhouette in the distance when he stole a glance over his shoulder. Well, at least he wouldn't get lost. Hmm. He should probably get down before he drew a crowd. Clamoring down proved easy enough. Getting his bearings? Less so.

A lot less.

Now that the panic and anger had inevitably faded, Naruto found himself at a crossroads. Quite literally. His little stunt had created something of a scene; much to his chagrin, he _had _drawn a crowd. Among them a young girl wearing dark clothes and red hood gaped at him from across the street, bright eyes wide. Gods, was she bouncing up and down? She was. _Huh. Neat._

Had that been the end of it, he might've yet slipped away into the crowd unnoticed. But there was another girl beside her, one with violet eyes and striking golden hair brighter than the sun. Her sister? As he looked on she tugged at an older man's sleeve -their father?- and leveled a finger of her own at him, mouth moving in some unheard question. He strained his ears and caught the last of her words.

...who's that, dad? Ruby! Stop bouncing!"

"But that was soooo cool~!"

Naruto flushed.

"Um...hi?"

A reluctant arm rose in what he hoped was a jaunty wave, one that backfired horribly, judging by their father's sudden scowl. Definitely their father. He knew that look; knew better than to approach and challenge it. In short order the older man led the two girls away by the hand. The blond looked back at him. He almost wanted to say something, but a snap from Kurama stopped him at the last moment.

**"Don't just stand there in the middle of the street. They're just kids. Walk."**

For want of anything better to do, Naruto did just that.

Listless legs carried him in the opposite direction.

And his mind began to move.

Where had he gone wrong?

He just wanted to make people happy.

In his heart of hearts, he simply couldn't say no to a good cause. That meant protecting Amber. Not that she needed it. Still, the way she'd looked at him gave him pause. If that meant this Huntsman business everyone seemed to be on about...well. He wasn't averse to helping, but he wasn't keen on fighting another war either. For now. That was the right thing to do. Right? Nevermind the fact that Oz and Qrow had tried to manipulate his feelings; he was well past such petty anger.

**"But what do you want?"** Leave it to Kurama to ask the tough questions.

He turned his gaze toward the ruined moon only just now beginning to rear its head over the horizon. It served as a painful reminder of what he'd lost; this wasn't his world. No matter how much he might wish it were so, he couldn't simply tear open a hole and jump back through. That way was lost to him. Yet still, his heart cried out for his world.

...I want to go home."

Kurama honored him with silence. Then:

**"That's probably not going to happen anytime soon."**

"I know." the words tasted like ash on his tongue as he rounded a corner. Like defeat. Speaking them was tantamount to giving up. Naruto never gave up. Ever. But here? Now? He just wanted to bury his head in a bowl of ramen and forget today ever happened. This world had ramen, right? It would be blasphemy if it didn't.

Once more, he let his legs lead him.

He still wasn't looking, still wandering the streets, when he slammed headlong into the poor girl. There was no evil intent to warn him, no implicit sense of violence to prepare his muscles in time. He simply slammed right into her. She didn't make a sound; even when she toppled backward. Not a grunt. Not a cry. Not even a yelp. It was only his instincts that saved him from disaster and even then barely caught her, such was his surprise.

"Jeez, I'm sorry about that...eh?"

What was it with the women in this world and their odd penchant for clothes?!

This one wore a strange white tail jacket with a pink interior, button and one wide broad tail, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots. Said boots revealed themselves to be very high heels as the girl did a little pirouette and stepped back. Beneath her jacket he glimpse what might've been a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. Well. Her fashion style was certainly...unique, if noting else. She also wears a multitude of necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck.

**"Well, color me intrigued."** Kurama hummed.** "She wasn't there a minute ago."**

'Now who's being paranoid?"

Naruto turned back to her, blinking. Nevermind the multitude of necklaces hanging haphazardly around her neck or the fact that the girl was incredibly short -even with her heels she barely came up to his chest!- but it her hair and mismatching eyes in spite of everything else, baffled him the most. Pink. Brown. White. Unbidden, he thought of a certain ice cream he'd once had for desert. In a word, Neapolitan. Huh. It kinda suited her.

Right.

Apologies.

Best to get on that.

"You alright?" he offered tentatively. "Look, I really _am _sorry. Didn't mean to bowl you over like that...and you're not talking."

The girl tilted her head as reclaimed found her footing and mimed a gesture to her throat.

Naruto groaned. "You...don't talk, do you?"

An emphatic shake of said head answered his question.

"So what do I call you?"

A small dry-erase sign snapped up in response, business end facing toward the girl. Much to Naruto's surprise -and mild amusement- the girl quickly scribbled on it and turned it around to reveal its contents to him. Wasn't that hard to read either, given that only three letters awaited him there. He squinted at it:

"N~E~O~?"

Her head bobbed.

"Huh. Bit of an odd name-hey!"

An umbrella sailed out of nowhere to smack his nose.

Maybe it was her hair, maybe it was his hunger talking, maybe he was just being a foolish young man looking for a distraction, but...

"Hey, you wanna get a bowl ice cream, or something?" When she didn't answer, Naruto bulled on with a smile. "My treat."

The girl -Neo, he reminded himself!- raised a question finger and pointed at herself.

"Of course I mean you!" Naruto nearly laughed. "Who else?"

Neo looked made a show of looking left and right.

"Alright, alright. Know anyplace good?"

Neo's mismatching gaze had all but lit up like fireworks at the mention of the confectionery dish. Now? She didn't even need her sign to convey her enthusiasm this time; her eyes were shining. Brighter than stars. Quick as a flash her wrist seized his before he could even think to stop her. He could have broken free any number of ways shirt order he found himself hauled off at breakneck speed. This wasn't a trap, he told himself. How could someone so small possibly be dangerous? Ozpin _had _given him some lien. Or whatever amounted to currency here. Surely there was no harm in using it, right? And he was hungry. Ramen would be nice, but ice cream was a close second. Surely there wasn't any harm in this random act of kindness. _Surely_ it wouldn't come back to bite him later.

So he decided to be indulgent; to allow this skipping girl to lead him where she would.

Naruto had no way of knowing the series of events he'd just set into motion.

It would prove to be quite the eventful afternoon indeed.

No, more than that. A new life awaited him here.

Why hadn't he seen that? Or realized it?

He was holding himself back, here.

Him. Naruto. No one else.

He had but to grasp it.

Just like her hand.

And so he did.

_Happily._

**A/N: And so it begins.**

**Yes, we did glimpse Ruby, Tai, and Yang. GLIMPSED. You'll see them later.**

**Well that was a blast to write and then some.**

**Had to cut the Velvet bit till next time, would've felt awkward.**

**Neo's just a treat to write.**

** Aaaand now we can really have fun.**

**Cinder's still alive, but she's not in any shape to interfere for awhile. Poor thing. She also has severe PTSD from the beating she received. Wouldn't you? Time will tell if she can be saved in this story, or if vengeance will drive her to madness. On another note, ****I've tallied the votes, and we have a winner for the Teams! You'll see the teams soon. ****Sorry to the one chap who wanted Narut and Amber to be independent hunters.**

**WEREN'T EXPECTING AN UPDATE THIS QUICKLY, WERE YOU?!**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**SURPRIIIIIIIIISE!**

**(Previews)**

_Roman smiled as he leaned forward. __"Hey kiddo. Heard you made a friend."_

_Neo's smile was positively cherubic. And devilish._

_"Good. Keep an eye on him, will you?"_

* * *

_"I'm sorry, who?"_

_Pyrrha stared at Naruto in utter disbelief. _

_That did it. She couldn't hold it anymore. She started laughing._

_Amber palmed her face. "Great. Nice job. I think you went and broke her."_

* * *

_"AH! Its the ice cream girl! Why the hell are you here?!"_

_Neo waved cheerily._

* * *

_"Oraaaaaaaaaaaah!"_

_...he just threw an Ursa. With his bare hands."_

_"You should see him when he's angry." Amber hummed as she dispatched a Beowulf. "Onward, then!"_

* * *

_"I'm sending you to Mistral. There's a matter there I'd like you to look into."  
_

_Of course, Naruto dug in immediately, as Ozpin knew he would. "No. Not without my team."_

_"Granted." the boy's baffled look -and then grin- hurt the immortal man's heart. "They're waiting for you outside."_

_Naruto perked up "Well, alright then. What're we doing? Does this have something to do with the Spring Maiden you mentioned?" __Whiskered cheeks pinched in a frown. "More secrets?"_

_Ozpin steepled his fingers. __"In a sense. __Oh, and Naruto? __You'll be working with Atlas on this. I trust that isn't a problem?"_

_The poor boy froze like a deer in the headlights. "Winter?" the word was a groan._

_Oz favored him with a grandfatherly look. "Winter."_

_Naruto's head struck the desk. Repeatedly._

_He waited until the young man was finished and long gone. __Only then did he groan into his hands._

_He didn't want to believe that Leo had betrayed him, but all the signs were there. Loathe though he was to admit it, they needed bait. They couldn't send an experienced team of Hunters and Huntresses; that would be too much of a threat. And try as he might, he couldn't think of a stronger team to send. Yes, some of their members might be called green. But Naruto and Amber weren't. He'd held them back for this very reason. They were bait. And they didn't even know it._

_"Forgive me."_

**_R&R~!_**


	4. Broken Inside

**A/N: ****WARNING! This chapter has...themes. Lots of them. You've been warned. There is a scene in here that might upset people. All I ask is that you read through EVERYTHING before you make your final judgement. Speaking of which.**

**EDIT: ****Buzz off, trolls!**

**I posted this an HOUR ago and there are more flames telling me to die than reviewers! Seriously, what the hell?! I can't work like this, knowing I'm just going to get bloody lambasted! I wanted to switch things up, surprise people and make them smile, make things emotional and happier in these dark times...**

**...but if I'm just going to get more flames than reviews, then why am I doing this? **

**I've said time and time again I have plan. I am working on my other stories; the crossovers ****take a lot of work, because each has a ton of moving parts. Nevermind larger stories like "A Boy's Journey" with open sprawling words or "Die Another Day" and other larger stories. ****Of course I like reviews. Reviews are all that keep me going these days. ****They remind me that I'm doing some good here.**

**Without reviews, I feel worthless. There. I said it.**

***sighs***

**I suppose I'm ranting.**

**Small time jump of a few hours ahead. Here you go.**

**This chapter gets...emotional, for various reasons. It also changes everything.**

**As ever, references for days, and I don't own jack squat. Now back to sleep while I fight off this virus...**

_"He split the sky. I WANT his secrets, Winter. Whatever it takes. Do you understand?"_

_"Whatever it takes? Sir, I'm afraid he's quite hostile towards me."_

_"Then change that. I have faith in you, Specialist."_

_...perhaps I owe him an apology."_

_"Godspeed, Schnee."_

_~Ironwood and Winter._

**Broken Inside (Winter's Interlude)**

_Winter was waiting for him when he returned._

Naruto knew that color the moment he stepped back onto Beacon grounds, he'd seared it into his mind like a laser. Any lingering happiness that might have clung onto him from his brief little excursion vanished the moment he laid eye on the Schnee lurking near the academy doors. Had that been the end of it, he might have been able to ignore her. But there was something in her posture that alerted him; just as much as the tide of negative emotions he felt roiling off her back. Her spine was too rigid, her head raised, hands clasped behind her back, as though she were standing firmly at attention. As if she were standing guard.

As if she were waiting for someone.

Waiting for them, most likely. Not just him, but Kurama.

_**"Nope!/**Oh, hell no!" _Well, they were in agreement about that at least.

Worse, they were alone. His...friend had long since slipped away back in the plaza, leaving him to wander back at his leisure. A shame. Naruto found Neo to be good company, if a tad... first thought was to turn around and leave the Specialist behind; simply walk back the way he'd come out of spite if nothing else. It was tempting. Oh so tempting. She wouldn't be able to stop him. He wanted nothing to do with this wintry woman and whatever mad machinations she might be plotting. The sun had already begun to set, and he wanted nothing more than to tumble into whatever bed Ozpin provided him.

**"You know what they say, the only out is through."** Kurama groaned.

_'She's going to cause a scene.'_ Naruto swore. _'I just know it.'_

**"Bah! If its a fight she wants, we can take her."**

His partner had a point. It was still unpleasant.

Frantically, Naruto cast his gaze about for allies. He saw only an errant crow perched on a lamp post. It could have been Qrow...no, when he stretched his senses out, he was annoyed, and somewhat surprised to find that he couldn't tell if it was a bird or a certain drunkard masquerading as one. Well. That was annoying. Much to his dismay, Amber was nowhere to be found on the grounds either. Of course she wasn't. She had a life of her own. He couldn't expect her to be with him every waking moment. Casting his senses out further merely confirmed it; she was further away in the dorms, a veritable burning beacon -and he was sure there was a pun hiding in there somewhere!- just waiting to be ignited. Ozpin wasn't further up behind...huh?

Trying to sense the geezer was like difficult. His presence felt...well, not slippery, but different. Old. Ancient. He almost bemused to have been noticed. Huh. Could Ozpin sense him in turn?

On a whim, he flung his senses at Winter instead. He expected coldness. Stark clarity from a professional.

What he found was anger. Not hatred or wrath or even something like spite. Just...resigned anger. Emotions masked beneath a thin veneer of ice, ready to burst forth at the slightest provocation. Her anger wasn't even directed outward at him, but inward. At herself. She felt powerless. Humiliated. Spirits, she was on the verge of tears. Why? It stung and he withdrew his senses with a hiss.

**"What was that about?"** Kurama asked.

Naruto forbore the urge to sigh. "Your guess is as good as mine, partner."

Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, as it were. With a grimace, the shinobi started forward.

Remarkably, Winter made no move to challenge him, even as the distance between them steadily shrank. Yards. Feet. Inches now. She wasn't even looking at him; in fact, she seemed far too busy muttering to herself. If that was how she wanted to play things, then fine. He was past her now, well and truly clear. Perhaps he'd been mistaken. If he could just slip past her without exchanging words, he would call this a victory. Three more steps now wold carry him inside and he was going to _slam_ that door behind him for good measure.

"I'm sorry."

Damnitall to hell.

Against his better judgement, Naruto turned around. "What was that, ice queen?"

Her lips thinned but she stamped down her anger and didn't rise to the bait. "Please, do _not_ call me that."

Qrow would have baited her. Naruto nearly did-no. He should leave. Right now. Walk away from...whatever the hell this was. This wasn't his problem. He wasn't here to fix Winter's daddy issues or what-have-you. He had problems enough without a powerful woman trying to usurp the secrets of chakra from him. He boss likely wanted to weaponize the stuff. _And wasn't that just another can of worms?!_

...gize."

"Sorry, I heard none of that." he tilted his head, watching a frown flit across her face. "Wanna run it by me again?"

Winter's hand went white-knuckled around the hilt of her saber, but she didn't draw. "I...wanted to apologize. For my earlier transgression."

**"Oh, suuuuuuuuure! Apologize to the brat! Nevermind the fox!"** Kurama would have none of it. **"What about me?! Where's MY apology?!"**

Under ideal circumstances, Naruto would've forgiven her and been done with it. He wasn't a vindictive person unless pranks were involved, and even then there was a line he wouldn't cross. But this woman had insulted his friend. Tried to pry the secrets of chakra from his grasp, and called Kurama a lowly familiar. The fox was still sulking over that. All told, Winter Schnee hadn't painted the most promising picture of herself for either of them. So...nope. No way in hell was going to make this easy for her.

"Which one?" his head tilted almost horizontal this time.

A muscle jumped in her jaw. "Gods, you're absolutely insufferable!"

"No, you just bring out the worst in me." Slim shoulders shrugged as she seethed silently. "Don't like it? Don't bother me." he paused, almost as afterthought. "Also, Kurama wants an apology."

Winter blinked, confusion sweeping away anger. "Who is Kurama?"

Shit. He'd let that one slip out.

"He's the one you called a familiar." Naruto winced as their voices compounded one another. "He took...umbrage to what you said earlier. He doesn't like being called that."

Too late, he saw the spark of interest shone in those ice blue eyes. "What is he, then? A parasite? Can you communicate with him?"

Naruto flinched as Kurama went terribly, horribly still in the back of his head, going so far as to withdraw from the conversation entirely. Parasite? That was worse than a familiar. So much worse. On a whim, the blond dipped into the seal in a frantic attempt to peek. Mistakes were made. There were no words for what he found there and the fox nearly crushed him in a fit of apocalyptic fury. He snapped back to the waking world just in time to catch a roar that rattled his ears and nearly left him deaf.

_**"PARASITE?!"**_

Naruto flinched at the ensuing migraine that followed. "Ow! No, not that! Definitely not that! Take it back, take it back! Back, back, back!"

Winter most assuredly did _not_ take it back. Instead, she raised a hand, palm upright. "Let me show you something."

When she opened said palm, Naruto wasn't sure what to expect; a pale glyph was the last thing he expected to see. At least he assumed it was a glyph. He watched danced before her upturned fingers like a tiny snowflake for a few moments, listening to it whir softly while he looked on. Sure, it looked pretty, but what was the point of it? A seal?

"That's...nice?" he ventured.

"This is my Semblance." Winter explained, holding the glyph up for closer inspection as he leaned in. "The Schnee family, my family is unique in the fact that this very semblance runs in our bloodline and _only _ours. It also allows us to summon defeated enemies."

"So like a bloodline?" That was a thing here?

"In a sense, yes." Winter preened. "Would you kindly step back?"

Reluctantly, Naruto did as he'd been bade. "This far enough for you, then?"

Without pause the Atlas Specialist turned and drove her rapier into the earth. A larger glyph bloomed beneath her feat and gave birth to...something. He couldn't think of any other word for the strange pale-winged beast that arose to greet him. It looked monstrous. Yet it made no move to attack him. Even when he stepped forward and poked at it, the creature stood unflinching in the face of his curiosity.

"Well!" he whistled. "That's certainly new."

"Do you understand now?" Winter straightened. "Only a Schnee should have this ability, and you were seen using what appeared to a variation of it. It shouldn't be possible." her nose wrinkled. "Unless we're related...

"Nope! Not a chance in hell." Naruto crossed his arms in an X-shape and made a face of his own. "Not happening. I'm not even from around here."

Winter blew out a relieved breath. "Good. I don't fancy the idea of having another brother...

Just like that, the conversation got away from them once again.

...you're not going to tell me who Kurama is, are you?"

"Not a chance in hell, Ice Queen." Naruto said.

"Must you?!" she flung up her arms.

_"Yes, I must."_

Naruto shifted uneasily, watching the Specialist like a hawk as he raised his chin in defiance. He didn't trust her. No. Not yet. But her words had stole some of his anger, as much as he wanted to hold onto it. Winter had certainly held onto hers and explained just why she was so keen He hadn't told her anything important; so long as she didn't press the matter, he was willing to let bygones be bygones. He wasn't here to make enemies, and if Amber was to be trusted -which she was!- he _really_ didn't want to go barking up this tree. But he would if they pushed him.

Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to like Ironwood. The man seemed alright, but he had a militaristic approach to everything.

It reminded him too much of Danzo.

"Please, listen." when Winter's hand closed around his, so too did his gaze snap back to her. "The power you have, it could change the world. If you would only explain how it works-

Naruto jerked his hand free from hers.

_Aaaaand_ just like that the anger came roaring back all over again.

"Did Ironsides put you up to this?" He deliberately mispronounced the name.

Sure enough, her mouth twitched. Just a fraction. Just an inch. Naruto pounced on like a fox.

"You almost had me." he shook his head in disbelief, misreading her intent entirely. "I should have known." Bitter laugh burst out of him despite his best effort to hold it in. "Orders are orders. That's all you Atlas folk seem to care about." Something ugly reared its head in his thoughts and he slapped her hand away when it came for him again. _"How can you be so broken inside?!"_

Winter flinched as though he'd struck her -he may as well have!- but he wasn't finished with her. Not by a long shot.

"No, I didn't-

"I know your type." he started forward, and she retreated just as quickly. "You live for your orders. You die for your orders." his finger stabbed her in the stomach and she winced. "The mission is all the matters; the end result is all that matters. Obey. Do as your told." he snapped his fingers and a stray spark skittered between them. "Never step out of line. Never think for yourself. Never, never, never." his lip curled in a smile that felt just as bitter as his words. "Think for yourself instead of your orders rules for once, damnit! People like you make me sick!"

"I'm here because I want to be!" She actually drew her rapier, the idiot. "Who are you to to say otherwise?!"

Naruto grit his teeth.

"Riddle me this, then. Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." his lips curl into a snarl as his emotions got the better of him. "Tell me, would you abandon your friends for your precious rules, Schnee? Amber mentioned you had a sister. Would you sacrifice _her_ just to please Ironwood?"

Winter jerked back. "I...that's not...

**"IDIOT!"**

Her reluctance was the straw that broke the camel's back. Chakra burst from Naruto's stomach in a low roar, his body snapping into seven shades gold and black as nine truth-seeking spheres sizzled into existence behind his back. It was overkill in every sense of the word; his base form would've been more than enough for this. He didn't care. With but a thought a staff snapped into his hand, one he immediately used to sweep her weapon aside and knock her right on her arse. He willfully avoided using anything else, batted aside her blade, and knocked Winter down again when she tried to get up and attack.

In a fit of pique, she struck out at his head.

Kurama must've been just as angry as him, because the golden effigy of a howling fox's skull roared into life around him a heartbeat later to guard him. Her rapier skittered harmlessly off that scowling shroud. No wait, his partner was actually _roaring_ at her. That suited him just fine. He rather felt like roaring himself right about now. So he gave his partner sway and that golden head grew into a neck, sprouted shoulders and torso, followed soon thereafter by great looming legs, all nine terrible tails. In an instant Kurama towered over the Specialist in all his golden glory, rested and whole.

A giant paw crushed her summoned manticore like brittle glass before it could take flight.

The fear in her eyes as she stumbled back was all the answer he needed. How could someone be so dense? So blind? In his eyes, she was no better than one of Danzo's Root. She followed Ironwood's orders slavishly, with scarcely a thought for herself. Ironwood might not half the monster that man was, but Winter's slavish devotion irked him more than any measure. At least Sai thought for himself, or learned to. With this woman it was all orders, orders and more orders. Atlas this! Ironwood that...!

It lit a fire in Naruto's throat, one that came searing up in the form of a furious bellow all his own:

_**"Are you happy now?! Is this what you wanted to see?!"**_

Apparently not; his sonic scream knocked the older woman right on her rear all over again. She struck the ground and tumbled, hair flying free from its braid, Aura flickering faintly. He could've crushed her then; torn her apart in any number of ways if he were inclined. Somehow, he restrained himself. He didn't want to hurt her; just knock some sense into that thick skull of hers! Preferably with his voice!

So once more, it fell to words.

**"Alright, listen here, Ice Queen!"** he jabbed a finger forward, taking a small vindictive pleasure in watching her eye twitch. **"I've had a hell of a day here! Right now, I just want to fall into bed and pretend this never happened."** taking a pause for breath, he fixed her with the blackest look he could must. **"So we're going to settle this here and now! What do _you_ want out of life?! Tell the truth! I'll know if you lie!"**

"I want the world to be safe-

**"Nope!"** he read her like a book.

Winter balked. "Its not that simple!"

In a flash of light, Naruto dispelled the cloak and stormed up to her.

"Yes, it is!" he smashed his forehead against her own, heedless of her flush. "What do you want?!"

On the back foot, Winter began to waver. "I want to you get out of my face! Now! You cheeky little upstart-

"Not good enough! He headbutted her and she winced when he reeled her back in by the wrist. "What. Do. You. Want?!"

A small, hysterical sob burst out of the specialist as she teetered in his grasp; too much. It was all too much for her to take in at once. When faced with that towering creature, all thoughts of combat escaped her. She'd been afraid. She was _still_ afraid. Knowing he could snap back into that thing at any moment and rip her apart...it shattered her self control and left her vulnerable. Lying would avail her nothing here. No amount of plots or schemes or adherence to order would save her. This was no boy to be manipulated, this wasn't even a weapon. He was a living, breathing force of nature; one more than capable of wiping Atlas from the map.

And she'd woken his wroth.

"Answer me!" Naruto's grip on her wrist nearly numbed her arm. "Now!"

Winter flailed for an answer and found nothing. What did she want? To be in control of her own destiny. Her childhood back. To be loved. She wanted mother and father to care about her, not drive themselves deeper into drink and depravity. She wished she'd been brave enough to take her first steps out into the world on her own. She wished she'd been foolish enough to bring Weiss and Whitley with her. She wanted...so many things. Many of them involved her past, a past she couldn't change. None of them mattered now. Her life had ceased to be her own long ago, she'd come to accept that fact, or so she thought. And yet. And yet! Now she found herself on the verge of tears, about to suffer a breakdown. Would a lie bring her death? Was this how it would end?

Oh, if Father could see her now. How he'd laugh at her. Mother would just sigh.

She'd been dismantled on every front.

Embarrassing. Humiliating.

It wasn't just Naruto's strength that had left her undone; though that certainly played a factor in her feelings. _It was him!_ This infuriating _bloody blasted blond _tore her defenses down with his words as he continued to stand in in her way, relentlessly challenging her on every front! She couldn't take it! Didn't know what to do with it! This irritating warrior gave her...personal feelings. Therein lie the problem! She wasn't used to such things! She wasn't sure if she wanted to hug him or stab him in the eye. He'd motivated her somehow, woken something she hadn't known was there. By all accounts he'd be a horrible soldier, yet tha samet stubborn defiance would've made him an excellent leader.

He might yet be one, somewhere, someday.

It stirred something in Winter's bitter heart. Respect went to war with wrath only to be ambushed and summarily slaughtered by another, far more foreign emotion. She wanted him under her command. The things he could accomplish...! But that would never happen. If she couldn't have that...if she couldn't...if she were to die here...let it be without regrets. It was a moment of passion, of anger and fury and fear that turned into a different feeling entirely.

In a fit of pique, she chose to act on those emotions. "If I tell you, will you let go of me?"

Fierce blue eyes blazed up at her, made her heart race. "Sure thing."

Winter stepped into him all at once, eyes wet, chest heaving.

Then she seized him in the fiercest embrace she had.

"Did you do this on purpose? Did you plan this?"

Those very same eyes widened.

"I have no idea...?"

Winter didn't give him a chance to react or speak knowing he could escape at any moment if he wished. Nor did she trust her resolve to last. So she moved. Acted. With his mind muddled by her actions and his grip slackened thanks to their close proximity, she took the chance to lean in, take his face in both hands and press her mouth to his. It was her first kiss; a clumsy, awkward gesture, one she wasn't even wholly aware of at first, much less capable in. Why would she be? No one had ever caught her eye like before, no one had ever pushed her to her limits and beyond. The second wasn't much better by half; her teeth clicked against his and a hot jolt of pain shot through her lower lip.

Naruto had all but turned to stone in her grasp, but he hadn't tried to escape yet, either.

Was that good? Bad? Horrible? Excellent? Winter didn't know, and not knowing terrified her beyond measure. Worse, his eyes were decidedly blank when she pulled away, as if he'd simply faded out. Somehow, that made her even more cross. She knew she was wholly out of touch when it came to her emotions, but the bastard could at least do _something._ He wasn't even blinking! It was like he'd gone catatonic! It made the heat roar in her chest all the more. Damn him. He'd gone to all this trouble to get her riled up, he could at least answer her!

"If you don't respond," she warned, "I'm going to be very cross-mmph?!"

She barely felt his arm tighten around hers before he yanked her back down to him with a snarl.

Naruto's mouth tasted like fire against hers, if it could be called such a thing. All heat and warmth, willpower and determination. For all his intensity he was just as clumsy as her; oddly enough, it made the Specialist feel better. They were, the both of them, inexperienced in this. He was even gentle with his hands at first, careful not to let them roam to untoward places like some lust-filled teenager. Both palms took up firm residence on her hips and stayed, freeing up her hands to do with them as she wished.

Winter _used_ them to push him into the nearest pillar; one she pressed him against.

_"You_ did this to me." the words were a growl in his ear. "Accept responsibility for your actions!"

To her dismay, her captive actually laughed. He sounded just as nervous as she felt. "Hey! I didn't ask for this! Why me?!"

"You asked me what I wanted. I chose you. Why?" She arched a silver brow at him, laying out her decision clearly for him as she did all things. "Are you rejecting my advances?"

He twisted to slam her against that same pillar with vicious force. Her Aura flared for a moment before it held strong. Not so the stone. Winter _felt _it crack beneath her back. Something in her winced. That something died a swift death as his mouth claimed hers again with a singular ferocity. She fought back, anger and passion lending her limbs strength as she tore at him. Perhaps this was wrong. Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps it would only lead to heartbreak. Winter didn't care. For the first time in an age she'd found a release for her emotions and _damnit all_ she was going to ride this for all it was worth before the consequences slapped her up side the head.

Not once did she think of Ironwood's orders.

Rather, she couldn't think. Gods, she was terrible at this.

She probably looked a mess, her lips red, hair in disarray...yet he didn't let go of her.

"Not a word of this to Qrow," she gasped as his lips brushed her neck. "If you breathe a WORD of this to him...

"Are you kidding?" Blue eyes gleamed in the dim light. "If that old bird saw this...he'd be insufferable. He's bad enough as is. But why-

"So long as you understand." the specialist preened, silencing him with her mouth once more. "Now shut up and kiss me."

Whatever Naruto's hesitations, his body betrayed him; a lone hand dipped beneath her thigh to lift her leg; in retaliation the Specialist hooked her heel against his and pulled him closer, fingers splayed across his open jacket. Calloused fingers brushed across the swell of her breast and she didn't so much snarl as she did hum. This was improper. Wrong. Debauchery on the highest level. Weiss would _shriek_ if she ever caught wind of this. Nevermind being caught in the open. The thought should've snapped her out of her daze, should've brought her back to sanity. It did not. Her emotions had already run the gamut more than once in the last few minutes; she'd gone from angry, to terrified, back to angry, livid, and now...this.

If this was what release felt like...

...if this was what it felt like to be a person...

...then perhaps her emotions weren't something to be feared.

_"Stop."_

Until he pushed her away.

"Will you...just wait a second...?!"

_No!_ She was tired of stopping, tired of waiting, tired of thinking! Why couldn't he just let her have this!

Despite her attempts to ignore him, Naruto got the better of her; strong hands pressed against Winter's shoulders to push her back. She made of noise of frustration as the blond came to his senses and moved to nudge her away, but wasn't able to fight against it. For all her failings, she just didn't have the strength. He was still stronger than her; an insurmountable wall she had yet to scale. So too was his expression. He looked almost ashamed of what he'd done; of the fact that he'd lost himself to lust.

"Isn't this moving kinda fast?" Naruto muttered, looking away from her, "I barely even know you. Look." he steeled himself and shook his head. "I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't thinking."

How cute. He was _embarrassed. _Winter pounced on it. "What are you proposing then? A date?"

"I...what?" He sputtered out, caught flatfooted by her response. "Never been on one of those before."

"Excellent." there. She was in control again. "You can pick me up at seven. I'll send the details to your scroll."

...I don't have one of those." he flung up his arms in exasperation. "Let me get a word in, will you?! Stop manhandling me!"

"You don't have a scroll?" She wasn't letting him get away that easily. Oh no. Not now. Her eyes narrowed. "We'll just have to fix that then, won't we?"

Before he could offer further protest, she latched on his arm and dragged him into the the school. And if a certain bird continued to observe the two of them from afar...well. Neither noticed.

Birds couldn't curse; if they could, half the city would've heard Qrow.

**A/N: EDIT! STOPU!**

**I'm getting buried in flak for this, so I'm going to spell things out very clearly for everyone. **

**Screw show and tell. I'm putting this if bloody bold and underlined print:**

_**Naruto and Winter. Are Not. Together. Not yet. This was a moment of passion between two very angry people who are KNOWN to let their tempers get the better of them. Winter, moreso. She kissed Naruto. Our boy reacted in the heat of the moment as any sane man would, then swiftly came to realize this might not be the best of ideas. Winter, being as stubborn as she did, seized the advantage and bulldozed his hesitation. He even said as much. Nothing is set in stone.**_

**Pairing is still up in the air...**

**...but Winter went and got a head start.**

**Poor girl just has all the issues, doesn't she?**

**And she just staked a claim to Naruto. Didn't see that coming, did ya?**

**I've decided not to rush this story along, because so many folks were complaining about it. For instance, the Qrow fight took up a lot of space last chapter. ****Lets focus on Naruto and company a bit more before pulling some random timeskip, eh?**

**A lot of folks were complaining that Winter got next to no screen time last chapter. Well she's the focus of this one. We all know the Schnee family has issues, and Winter's no exception to this. She DID run away from home and leave her two younger siblings with less-than-stellar parents. And now Naruto gave her a reality check. ****She gave him a kiss.**

**Poor guy. He may never understand women.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**SURPRIIIIIIIIISE!**

**(Previews)**

_"You're taking the ice queen on a date?!"_

_"What was I supposed to do?! She ran right over me!"_

_"Heeeeeey, if she's an ice queen, doesn't that make you the king of snark?"_

_"Go home, Qrow." Naruto groaned into an arm. "You're drunk."_

_The drunken huntsman laughed. "Hehehe...Snark King."_

_A pillow found his face and knocked him down._

* * *

_...you're still angry, aren't you?"_

_Amber's eyes began to blaze. "Whatever gave you that idea? I'm not losing to her, by the way."_

_Too late, she realized she'd spoken the words aloud._

_"Eh?" Naruto frowned back at her._

_"YOU HEARD NOTHING!"_

* * *

_Neo gestured eloquently._

_"I can't understand you. Use the sign."_

_She did, but this time it read a single word. "Hunter."_

_...you want to be a hunter." Naruto blinked incredulously. "With me."_

_Her head bobbed and his frown only deepened. __"I don't buy it, whats the angle?"_

_Her lips pursed and quick as a flash, the sign told him just what she thought of that. "Language!"_

* * *

_"If she can't be destroyed, she can be sealed, right?"_

_The silence proved deafening._

_Naruto felt his jaw click open. __"Did...did none of you consider this?" he balked._

_"The power needed to contain someone like her far exceeds-_

_"Ahem." Naruto sighed and flared his chakra cloak. "You were saying?"_

_"...I see. Ozpin coughed awkwardly.__"I take it you possess such capabilities."_

_"Not yet." came the placid reply. "But after what you just told me? I'm going to find a way."_

* * *

_"Bugger off, Qrow." Naruto flailed an arm at the bird. "Seriously! Shoo! I don't have time for you!"_

_With a rustle of feathers, a dark-haired woman stood before him in all her glory._

_...you're not Qrow." Great. Foot? Meeteth thine mouth. Nice job, idiot._

_Red eyes glowered at him. "Naruto Uzumaki. We need to talk."_

_"Lets not and say we did, eh?" he swore." I'm a bit busy-_

_A portal opened behind him. __"I don't think so."_

_She shoved him through._

**_R&R~!_**


	5. Stirring Seasons

**A/N: Sunday updates are best updates~!**

**In hindsight, I forgot today was Mother's Day. Craaaaap.**

**EDIT: Wow. That's a lot of trolls running over this story. Really hurts. I made peace with one or two, but it seems more are still out there...T_T** **For those who ask, I'm not banning guest reviews; that would be unfair to those who lack accounts and leave their own form feedback. Might as well brace myself for the flames again.**

**And again...**

**...and...again...**

***shakes head* Bah! Enough of that!**

**As ever, reviews keep me writing, and rapidly at that. The sheer amount of support I've gotten for my RWBY fics over the last few months has whipped me into a bloody update frenzy. ****Without reviews, I feel worthless. There. I said it.**

**DOUBLE EDIT: SWEET BABY JESUS!**

**I wasn't expecting that many reviews for "An Untraveled Road!" Its almost at 500- currently at 490 at the time of me writing this- and I've only written three chapters for it! Tell you what, if it gets to 500 before I post the fourth chapter -already at 4,000 words on that front and I'm aiming for 20,000- then ****I'll have a surprise for you guys and gals. **

**No, not a new story! I'm thinking a double update. Dare I say...a triple? I've been busy working on multiple updates here and that many updates might be a little hard to pull off in one day, but I'm in a great mood...and with considerably more time on my hands as all my hours at work dwindle away to nothing. Bloody quarantine. ****I'll still update regardless. Just thought I'd put that out there for you all.**

**Certain characters stole the show here and ran off with it. I swear, they're worse than Raven! Don't even get me started on Neo! Gimme back my hands! ****Amber and Winter are a bloody treat to write; hopefully I've gotten the latter's personality down pat. We've always known she was something of a hothead. Amber's a bit more difficult, but I think I got the hang of her; she really comes into her own in this chapter. ****Now then, the last chapter had some heavy fallout and now? Now it comes back to bite everyone. Hard.**

**Did you really think Naruto could summon Kurama in the _middle of Beacon _and not be noticed? ****Did you think that debacle with Winter's going to be ignored? ****To quote a certain reaper? Nope~!**

**This chapter gets...emotional, for various reasons. Its got a bit of everything; humor, emotion, drama, you name it. ****As ever, references for days, and I don't own jack squat. That's right, I own not a bloody thing, no references, no quotes, no memes or themes! ****An hour has passed since the last chapter; remember its still night~! ****Oh and one last thing before I go... ****...Red Lace.**

**Ohohohohohohoho~!**

**And with that teaser aside...Neon out~!**

**Hope you're ready for emotions, twists and turns...and laughter. Lots of that.**

_"Remember. Tomorrow. Seven. I'll pick you up here."_

_"Look, I'm telling you, this isn't going to end well. I don't DO dates. I've never even been on one!"_

_"I'm not a child, Naruto. If things don't work out between us tomorrow, then I'll accept defeat gracefully."_

_"Or...and hear me out here, we can NOT do this and say we did. We admit our mistakes and go our separate ways. Easy, right?"_

_"Let me offer you a counter proposal. Tell me you don't want to try. __Tell me you honestly want no part of this, and I'll walk away. Here and now. Go on. Well? I'm listening."_

_~Winter and Naruto._

**Stirring Seasons**

_"I've created a monster, haven't I?"_

**"No. Not a monster."** Kurama sniped. **"You've unleashed an ice devil."**

Naruto palmed his face and fought down the urge to ram his head into the nearest wall as Winter walked away from him. He won, if only just. It still felt like a defeat as he watched the Atlesian Specialist strut back toward the entrance; because Winter absolutely _strutted._ There could be no denying the spring in her step, no matter how much he might wish it otherwise. She sashayed away with a smile on her lips, hips swinging in a way that they hadn't before, and he couldn't help but stare. This was her victory. They both knew it; just as he knew he _hadn't_ been able to refuse her offer.

**"Wuss."** his partner scoffed, drawing another wince from the blond. **"I don't know what you see in her."**

Maybe he was right; only a few moments ago, Winter had given him a chance to bow out, to simply rebuff her, decline the date, and step back. Yes, it would've been tantamount to admitting his own cowardice. Yes, he would've felt like a fool after losing his temper to her like that _and_ _yes _his ego would've taken a bruising, but the offer had been made in good faith. He'd sensed that much. And he'd turned it down. In the end he hadn't been able to say no to her, not honestly. There _was _something there. It certainly wasn't love, but he couldn't call it lust either. Spirits, he hadn't know what lust even _was _until recently.

Like it or not, she'd stirred something in him; his hormones were awake now and they would not be put back to sleep so easily.

He'd thawed something in her and for better or worse, captured her attention. This is your fault, she'd said. Take responsibility, she said. Naruto Uzumaki was many things, but he was a man of his word. One date. That was it. Then he'd wash his hands of this madness...assuming he survived. Still with Winter gone he found he could think again. Which was a problem given that said thoughts kept flashing back to asaid Specialist and just how fiery she'd been with him.

**"Oh, _now_ you feel bad?"** Kurama proved just as ruthless, his retort nearly scathing within the seal. **"I didn't think you _cared_ given how busy you were burying your tongue in-!"**

_"Stop, stop, stop!" _

Naruto felt his face turn scarlet as he flung himself down the nearest hall he could find, not caring which direction he took as long as it led him away from here. He'd been had. Tempers had run hot and passions far hotter still. He wouldn't lie, part of him found Winter attractive. Any healthy young man -and likely more than a few women!- could appreciate her beauty. She was strong and stubborn and fierce and _spirits he had no idea what to do with her. _

By the log, he'd never been on a date before! He didn't know what to do! What _should _he do?!

Even now the memory of their unlikely encounter burned bright in the back of his mind like a roaring inferno. Her hips ground against his as she gasped his name, her body smashed against his chest, those round beautiful globes straining against her jacket as she dragged her lips against_-gah! __No! _

_Down, boy!_ Naruto slapped his cheeks._ Bad Naruto! Do not fraternize with the enemy! She just wants your secrets!_

**"And quite possibly your body." **Did the teasing never end?!

_"Graaaaaaah!"_

This time Naruto lost the battle with himself and his head impacted the nearest wall he could find with blistering speed. Plaster yielded before his forehead with a dull crunch, but he didn't feel any better. So he headbutted the wall again. And again. Nine times did his skull strike

"It was a mistake, alright?!" he wailed, stomping a foot against the carpeted floor. "I was pissed off and so was she! We weren't thinking clearly!"

**"Really, I thought you had better taste than that." **the fox scoffed.** "She called me a parasite!"**

"To be fair, she'll probably apologize if we ask her."

**"Oho! And how gallantly he defends her!"** Kurama's grin widened to shit-eating proportions as the whiskered warrior squawked a denial.** "And you're taking her on a date tomorrow evening. Not one for critical thinking, are you? How did you even survive this long without me?"**

"Because I didn't pick fights with girls like this." Naruto muttered into a palm before shaking his head and taking another right. "I'm not used to deal with people like this at all." he flailed a hand at the empty air, half expecting the universe to slap it down out of spite. "Amber's an exception, but this world just has all kinds of people, you know?" The silence that followed proved telling, deafening even. "Look, I'll deal with it. We'll let her down gently afterward and forget this ever happened. Simple, yeah?"

**"Tell that to your libido."** the fox sighed.

_"Sod off!"_

Perhaps it was pride on Naruto's part that had kept him from backing down; perhaps it was these bloody hormones. Perhaps he simply wanted to prove her wrong. He hadn't meant to dredge up painful issues for her, let alone melt her cold, cold heart. Some small, traitorous part of him was happy that he'd managed to change her at all.

Another, more curious part, wondered _why_ he hadn't been accosted by a horde of angry students yet.

This _was_ a school, right? Ozpin had said as much. If so, then where the hell were the brats? Night or no, he'd turned into a giant golden fox and rampaged around the main plaza. He'd made quite a bit of noise while doing it, too. How did people sleep through that? Even before that, he'd beaten the tar out of Qrow. And not a single student had been seen. Why?

**"Maybe they're on vacation?"**

"That would be lucky," Naruto agreed, glancing over his shoulder. "Except they aren't."

A shadow flickered in the corner of his vision, but whoever it was didn't challenge him. Stretching his senses outward merely confirmed his suspicions. He spun and glimpsed a pair of brown eyes framed by dark hair and a pale complexion. Its owner saw him and ducked behind a corner. Huh. Shy little thing.

"Hello...?" he ventured weakly, raising an arm. No one emerged. Huh. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to be feared.

**"Bah, ignore it."** his partner tamped down on the emotion. **"Who cares what some kid thinks?"**

Under normal circumstances, Naruto might have challenged that remark and chased after the student in an attempt to change what was doubtlessly a negative view of him. Or was it _students?_ He couldn't be sure. He was a friendly person after all; he didn't delight in fear and he certainly didn't enjoy frightening others. But he was tired. By the log, he just wanted to tumble into bed and forget about this awful day. So he let them go. If they didn't want to confront him, he certainly wasn't going to be bothered with them.

No skin off his nose.

Thus, armed with his new Scroll -the functions of which Winter had spent the last hour drilling into his head- Naruto eventually reached the destination Ozpin had set for him. The door before him felt like the gate to ninth circle hell; moreso the golden numbers looming above it. Was this a joke? It had to be a joke. It must be. Qrow had something to do with this, he just knew it. Or perhaps Ozpin? Maybe both? Glynda didn't strike him as the sort to be this petty, but he knew her the least of all three. His introspection did nothing to muffle Kurama's laughter. If the fox hadn't been laughing before he was absolutely howling now.

**"I take it back!"** Kurama crowed darkly,** "I _like_ the old geezer! He's got style!"**

"Room 69?" Naruto swore as his right eye began to twitch viciously, "Ohhh...I am going to _gut_ Ozpin for this."

But that was undoubtedly Amber her sensed behind the door; she burned like a beacon in his mind's eye, one idly shuffling about the room proper within. He'd been gravitating toward her this entire time, using his superior senses to map his way. It wasn't that he was able to see through the door -on the contrary, he couldn't- but rather he was able to detect who was behind it. He was to share this dorm room with her-if Ozpin was to believed. Wouldn't that be fun? More machinations on the part of the old sage, no doubt. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained as they said.

Trembling hands fumbled for his Scroll, used it to unlock the door, and eased it open before hesitation could sink its cruel claws into him.

Tentatively, he poked his head through. "Pardon the intrusion...

His mind rebooted immediately at the heavenly sight that greeted him within. There could be no other word for the glorious expanse that greeted his vision when he opened the door; it wasn't the humble room, the twin beds or any such spartan furnishing that struck Naruto speechless. Nor was it the pale moonlight spilling through the window, or even the faint candles burning at said window's edge. It was the young woman sitting _on_ one of said beds within, her back bared to him.

_She wasn't wearing any clothes._

Well, perhaps that was a bit of a misnomer on his part; Amber wasn't _completely_ naked, she still had her underwear and was in the process of donning the lower half of said undergarments. The faintest waft of humidity and her still-damp hair suggested she'd just finished taking a shower. Naruto felt his throat go dry, and for once in his life, Kurama had fallen curiously silent.

Huh. Red lace. A small, distracted part of him mused. Not a bad look for Amber.

She wasn't wholly aware of him yet; her arms were overextended, still in the process of tugging on her panties. There at least, her modesty was preserved. Unfortunately that left the rest of her utterly exposed. Even from this angle he could see one long leg extended, fingers hooked in the waistband of her underwear as she lazily finished pulling it up. From there she turned to stretch, exposing her bare back to him. By the log, he could see where the arrow had gone through her. He'd healed Amber during her fight of course, but the mark remained...and he was staring at her back. God, he felt like a lech.

Said back stiffened as its owner sensed something amiss.

_Retreat! Retreat!_ Naruto's mind wailed! _Mission failed! We'll get 'em next time!_

Right, he could do this. Escape shouldn't be a problem. He was a ninja. He was stealth. He was shadow. He-

_Creeeaaak._

A floorboard groaned treacherously underfoot, betraying his position and leaving him to curse like a sailor.

"Who is...?"

Even as the wayward shinobi realized his plight Amber turned towards the sound -toward him!- and her bright eyes lit up in confusion; followed shortly thereafter by mute horror. She saw him and her cheeks turned utterly scarlet. Brown hair seemed to lift in an unseen breeze, forming a chocolate halo around her head. Behind her the candles flickered fitfully and somehow, she mastered herself before the wind could rage out of control. Not so her tongue.

"Meep." Amber said.

"Urk." Naruto agreed wholeheartedly.

For a fleeting instant he felt her negative emotions spike and tensed to dodge forward. He needn't have. Amber threw herself backward in the same moment that he lunged. In a whirling wind she dove into her bed and all but buried herself beneath the autumn-colored sheets. Her head emerged a heartbeat later, akin to a startled rabbit poking its head of their burrow. Embarrassment turned her tan cheeks a pretty shade of pink and she all but hunkered down behind the sheets, eyes peeking out over the edge.

"Why are you doing in my room?! she squeaked, eyes wide and wild in her head, "This is too soon! My heart isn't ready! I haven't had a chance to prepare myself yet!"

"This is _my_ room, too!" Naruto shot back, brandishing his Scroll between them like a shield. "See?! Ozpin gave me a key! He said you knew about this!"

_"I knew no such thing!"_

"Well its what he told me, princess!"

Amber's fingers curled furtively around the covers. "Honest?"

_"Yes!"_ Naruto kept that hand between them just in case she tried to pelt him with a pillow...or a lightning bolt. He'd seen what an angry Amber could do with one of those and didn't fancy being struck by one. "I mean it! I just when where the old bastard told me to go!"

"You're not lying to me?"

"For the love of-no!" Naruto hissed. "Why would I do that?!"

Amber's sullen silence lent further weight to her trust issues. Frantically, the blond cast his gaze about for something, anything that could distract her. His foot caught on something. His shoe snagged on a pair of fluffy-looking bottoms just out of reach. Pink, with little white rabbits on them. She must've forgotten them in her frantic flight. There was even a matching black shirt with another white rabbit emblazoned on the front. Hazy blue eyes squinted at the words written beneath the bunny's visage. Pumpkin Pete? The hell was that? A mascot or something?

"Nice pajamas...?"

Amber turned incandescent. "Those aren't mine!"

Naruto didn't laugh. He absolutely did not laugh. Alas, the same could not be said for Kurama.

**"Oh, that's just precious!"**

Amber took one look at his face and her defiance wilted.

_"Gimme."_ she held out a hand, the other clutching the blankets to her chest.

Naruto dutifully retrieved the fallen garments and handed them to her. Amber snatched them out of his hands and dove beneath the blankets. A bit of wriggling and growling -could growling be called cute?- later and she emerged from her cocoon of covers once more, fully dressed. No violence or threats of said violence followed the Maiden's actions and the blond released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She wasn't going to fling things at him or call him a pervert? Huh. Neat. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.

"So...you're not going to do anything?" Naruto asked as much.

"That depends." she tilted her head at him. "Are you sorry for walking in on me?"

His head bobbed in immediate agreement. "Very sorry. I should've knocked first. My bad."

"Good." Amber beamed, the storm clouds fleeing from her brow. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Naruto instantly recalled Winter's words and wilted. You'd have to be dense as a brick to miss the tension between the two of them. As long as he didn't speak of it, things would be fine. Winter was...complicated. She had all manner of issues he didn't want to get into. Amber he liked, or felt he could come to like in time. She spoke her mind. She was fiery and fiesty and so very full of life. She smelled of the seasons and didn't call Kurama a familiar.

**"Or a parasite,"** the latter chimed. **"For that alone, she gets a pass in my book."**

_'You're not going to let that go, are you?'_

**"NEVER!"**

Amber still hadn't spoken further. If anything she seemed to be waiting for him to take the lead. And wasn't that just terrific? A few hours ago he would've blindly bulled ahead and thought nothing of it. Now? Naruto found his eyes had...well, not quite been opened, but he was aware of things he hadn't been before. Amber was a beautiful girl and she was close. Very close. Her scent wafted over him, bringing with the the faint aroma of fall and all the months that followed it. It was...heady.

...would you like to sit?" she asked quietly, patting the space beside her.

Naruto complied, watching her like a hawk would a rabbit.

Sad as it might seem, even with Winter's revelation, he still didn't much understand women, even if his interest in them had been piqued. Sakura and Tsunade hadn't been the best examples in that regard. Oh, they were good people, make no mistake about that, they were just...punchy. And loud. Very loud.

"You alright?"

Frantically, he flailed for a new subject. "So, you live here in the dorms? Alone?"

"Something like that," a small, sad smile plucked at her lips as the firelight flickered across her face. "Its complicated."

"Doesn't seem fair." Naruto grumbled back without thinking. Blast it. There he went, running his mouth again. He really needed to watch that.

"I'm something of a special case, Naruto." Amber informed him primly. "You know that by now. I'm technically not even a real huntress; Ozpin isn't keen on letting me out of Beacon these days."

"You were out in the open when I found you." Naruto found himself all too happy to poke a hole in her argument. "Alone."

Glowing eyes found his in the faint light. "And we both know how that went, don't we?"

"Yeah." he pointedly looked at her. "I seem to remember us winning."

Her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment, before a soft, secretive smile formed there. "We did, didn't we?"

Just like that, the ice between them broke and the Fall Maiden scooted closer to him. Despite his best efforts, Naruto couldn't bring himself to move. She didn't attack him like Winter had; she simply laid her head on his shoulder and...sighed. He felt a world's worth of tension flee with that single breath. Without thinking -he'd been doing a lot of that lately- he tilted his head against hers. Amber stiffened, but didn't try to escape it. There was nothing romantic about such a gesture he told himself, just two tired souls taking comfort in one another.

It felt...nice.

"Speaking of being alone, this really is my room." the Fall Maiden whined suddenly, retreating to their earlier argument in the face of his stoic silence, "I know there's another bed here n' all, but that's just because I never bothered to get rid of it. Why would Oz tell you to go here unless...oh. Oh, dear. That bastard." Innocence burned away into anger as golden flames licked at the edge of her eyes. "He said that I knew?" At his nod, her expression turned thunderous all over again. "I'm going to _gut_ him tomorrow."

**"Get in line." **Kurama bulled in.** "I called dibs."**

"Thank you, by the way." Amber continued.

"For what?" both boy and biju frowned.

"For agreeing to be my partner." her cheeks shone with a hint of pink. "Its nice to meet someone else who genuinely wants to help people."

"Nothing wrong with that." Naruto shrugged slightly.

"Ozpin's not going to let me do it anymore, though." she scooted awat and exhaled in a petulant pout. "Not after this. He says its too dangerous to go alone."

"Well, I'm here, right?"

Amber perked back up, a small spark coming back to her eyes. "You are, aren't you? He can't refuse me if I have a partner now. Can he?"

It hurt to see that kind of hope; as if she'd thrown all her dreams behind his continued presence. She just wanted to be normal. What was wrong with that? Nothing. In his eyes a Maiden was no better than a Jinchuuriki, if anything it was worse; at least he had Kurama to chat with at the end of the day. But Amber? She was alone.

**"Aw, you do care~!"**

"By the way, Winter's been hunting for you." Amber's voice plucked him out of his thoughts with brutal dispatch. "I saw her lurking by the main door earlier." her full lips quirked into a frown. "She looked fit to spit. I'd be careful, were I you."

_Urk. _She'd already found him and Amber didn't even realize what had transpired outside.

Honestly, where the people of Bale deaf or something?! Amber didn't even seem remotely aware of his earlier outburst, though the noise might well have muted by her her shower. He didn't even want to think of what might be happening back in the city proper. Once more he resolved not to mention Winter until he'd dealt with her. Only bad endings awaited him if went that route.

"I mean what I said earlier, you know." An elbow brushed his ribs. "Thank you. For saving me."

Naruto blinked. "You have nothing to thank me for. Anyone would have done-

_"No!" _Something in her voice made him flinch, not at the word, but the harsh rasp of anger it carried. "No," Amber continued with a watery smile, "They wouldn't have. And for that...well, I don't know what else to say but thank you." she hastily scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and sobbed -actually sobbed!- to his great dismay as he looked on. "Those people...that woman...they would have killed me if not for you; or put me into a coma at the very least." she shivered and clutched at her shoulders, looking truly miserable. "I...I never realized just how much danger I was in. So...

Warm lips pressed against a whiskered cheek; warm, quick, soft, and yielding.

"Eh?"

Kurama absolutely hooted. **"Ha!"**

Naruto choked and sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as his hormones howled back to life with a bloody vengeance. He ruthlessly stamped down on them again and again, over and over, until they fell silent. Only when he'd mastered himself did he dare to look Amber in the eye. She'd not moved of course, but she did wince now when his eyes found hers.

"I may be inexperienced, "Amber squirmed under his disbelieving gaze, "But I'll do my best as your partner. I swear on all the Maidens who came before me." her left hand tangled with his but made no effort to pull nor to push him away. "So...don't disappear like that on me again, okay?"

She looked so small and tiny in that moment; he couldn't help himself. Sympathy briefly smothered desire as he gazed down at her trembling frame. She was meant to be dead. But for his bumbling she would have been; he wasn't sure how he knew this, only that he did. And so he moved.

Strong arms closed around her quivering body and hauled the Fall Maiden into his chest as his head came to rest over her shoulder. Despite all she'd said and done Amber was a trained warrior. She didn't react well to any sudden movements. She stiffened the moment he moved against, palms catching against his torn shirt, though she made no effort to push herself away. A torrent of agitated gibbering swelled in his ears.

_"Naruto?!"_

"I won't let anything happen to you." He hissed into her shirt, suddenly feeling all too protective of this small life held here in his arms. "I swear it. Believe me."

Amber blew out a small, trembling breath. "Y-You don't need to go that far...

"Then we'll look after each other." he countered, smiling against her shoulder. "You look out for me and I'll look out for you. We watch each other's backs. Sound fair?"

He wasn't expecting the watery whimper that followed. "Why? I never asked you that, but why?"

"Whuzzat now?" Naruto pulled back, still holding onto her shoulders, not quite catching her meaning. "Why what?"

_"Why me?!"_ she slapped at his chest weakly, tears gathering in her eyes. "Look at me!" she flung out her arms at her sides as though she expected him to flinch away from her. "You've seen what I can do. I'm a mess! I can't control my powers! I destroy everything I touch! I'm loud! Pushy! Stubborn! We barely know each other!" a small, tiny hiccup fled from her lips and she buckled in the face of the sigh that followed. "No!" she stabbed a finger against his nose when he tried to speak. "Don't deflect! _Don't_ give me that look! You swooped in and saved me without a second thought! So...why!? _Why_ are you being so nice to me?!"

Naruto drew further back, considering his response.

How odd; her words didn't anger him, if anything, they made Naruto feel bad for _Amber._ Here she was baring her soul to him and he couldn't help but smile.

"Um...because I want to? Because you're like me? Because you're my friend?" he tilted his head, the true meaning of her words bouncing right off his skull; meanwhile each sentence of his own hammered home like a nail in her heart. "So what if you're loud and stubborn? So what if you break stuff? I've done all of those things and more. I like that about you, ya know."

A faint blast of heat burst from Amber's body as her face turned scarlet. This time, he couldn't make sense of the gibberish that fled her mouth.

Kurama crashed backward in the seal with a groan.** "He's done it again, ladies and gentlemen! Absolute dolt. I'm washing my paws of this madness. Wake me when its morning."**

_'Eh? Did what? What did I do?!'_

Amber answered for him; she melted back into his arms and all but welded herself against his chest this time. Warm hair tickled his chin as she tucked her head into the nook of his shoulder. Slowly, falteringly, her arms encircled his back. In that moment she held him as much as he held her. A moment passed. Then another. Yet another still.

"I'll hold you to that," she whispered. "And I'm sorry. I'm still a mess from all this...

"Hey, its fine." Naruto awkwardly patted her back, suddenly aware of just how close she was. "You're alive. That's what counts, right?"

"Hmm. Alive." Amber murmured the words into his chest, chanting them like a mantra as her panic began to ebb. "Right. Alive. Alive. I'm alive." She dared to peek up at him, eyes shining. "I'm alive thanks to you, and that

With those words, he finally dared to release her entirely. Her hand followed him, fingers clinging onto his sleeve.

"Wait."

Cast in the the flickering light of a dying candle, the Fall Maiden regarded him for a long moment through half-lidded eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. She looked like was gathering herself for some great effort, marshaling the dying embers of her resolve. He was right. At length, she smacked her lips, slapped both her cheeks and took a deep breath for courage.

"I was wondering," she began softly hanging her head. "This weekend...

"Hmm?"

Her head snapped up. "Would you like to go into the city?"

The door crashed open, swallowing his response as someone snapped on the lights. Both teens flinched, squinting against the unexpected illumination.

"Hey!"

"What gives?!"

_"Aha~!"_ a familiar voice sang. "Found youuuu~!"

Naruto recovered first, his eyes narrowing against the glare. He spied dark hair and an all-too-familiar grin of the shit-eating variety. His nose wrinkled as the harsh stench of alcohol assaulted his senses. Under any other circumstances, he would've snarled and shouted condemnations. Now? He was just so unbelievably done with everything and found himself too tired to care. Much less when he saw the flask in the man's hand.

"Qrow?" he frowned. "Why did you kick the door down?"

"Uncle Qrow?" Amber whined, still hiding her eyes. "What? Why are-

Sure enough, the old bird peered blearily at the two of them, flask in hand.

Then he wrinkled his nose at him. "Huh? What're you doin' here, kid? Weren't you with the Ice Queen?"

Naruto knew what was about to transpire. Call it precognition, a sixth sense, or simply common sense or what-have you. He tried to prevent it. He really, truly did. Even as Qrow Branwen opened his mouth to continue a golden hand appeared over his mouth and the rest of the blond soon followed. That should have been enough to silence the surly drunk. It was not. _Because _said drunk bit him. Hard.

The blond recoiled with a yelp. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"You're dating the Ice Queen!" he accused, thrusting a finger in his face. "I should be asking you the same thing! Traitor!"

"How does that make me a traitor?!" Naruto howled, flailing his limbs. "I just tried to knock some sense into you!"

"Yeah, well you knocked too hard!" Qrow squawked back.

_"We are not having this conversation!"_

Amber hauled herself out of bed behind them. "What are you two talking about?"

"Eh, its nothing important. Ice queen picked a fight and got her ass kicked by 'ol whiskers here." the old bird waved a dismissive hand at the shout that followed. "Then she kissed him. Tongue and everything." Realization dawned in his red eyes not a moment later as the unlikely pair went still. "Shit. Did I say that out loud? Don't freak out, firefly."

"Firefly?" Naruto couldn't help but snicker. "Cute nickname."

Amber turned scarlet again. "Forget that name." she hefted a pillow. "Right now."

Despite her anger he could see the tips of her ears burning hot pink. Forget it? This? Nah.

"Not like she gave him much chance to refuse before she hauled him and demanded a date." Heedless of his amusement, Qrow raised his flask and drank deep from it, as though he were watching a man walk to his doom. "Poor bastard. May the gods have mercy on your soul."

_'Leaving a lot out there, Qrow!'_

Naruto wondered if he should strangle the man or hug him. Qrow _had_ left quite a bit out there. Was the man actually trying to help him? Why? Did his dislike of Winter truly run so deep that he'd try to sabotage her? Bah, of course it did. Those two had been glaring bloody red daggers at one another. He would have to ponder that sometime, but not here. Not when Amber was looking at him like that. She still hadn't moved from his side, but the faint scent of smoldering wallpaper as she leaned against a wall told him all he needed to know about her opinion.

"Is this true?"

They say honesty is the best policy. Honesty was going to get Naruto a furious fireball to the face. Rather than embellish further, he offered a shrug.

"Yes?" he ventured helplessly.

"Is that so?" she smiled. It had far too many teeth. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

Uh-oh. He knew that look. It was the same look Tsunade wore when she was trying to get out of paperwork. Amber was less subtle about it. She did not sulk. She seethed. The wall beneath her hand was no longer warm to the touch beneath her fingers; it was a frozen hunks of ice, cold and glacial.

"Well, my work here is done." Qrow, seeing his opportunity, decided to intervene. "Just wanted to check up on you kids. Still" he squinted at Naruto. "So you're really taking the ice queen on a date!"

Naruto pitched forward onto his new bed with a groan. It was a nice bed, all things considered. Soft. Fluffy. It did nothing to alleviate the raging migraine he felt coming on. Was it too late to knock himself? Maybe if he hit the wall hard enough he'd be spared this mess. Alas his headbutt failed and he found himself forced to bear with their confusion.

"What was I supposed to do?!" he groaned. "She ran right over me! _You_ trying arguing with someone like that!"

"Heeeeeey," He expected an argument, not the bleary grin that followed. "If she's an ice queen, doesn't that make you the king of snark?"

Amber absolutely hissed.

"Go home, Qrow." Naruto moaned into an arm. "You're drunk."

The drunken huntsman laughed. "Hehehe...Snark King."

"THAT DOES IT!"

Amber's pillow was a mighty arrow loosed from a bow, one Qrow nimbly caught in his free hand without so much as a backward glance. Not so the second. No, the _second_ struck his smug visage like a falling star. Qrow didn't just tumble backwards; he flew back out the door with a squawk, flask tumbling from his fingers as he crashed down the hall and through a wall. An angry Fall Maiden snatched up said flask and hurled it after him. Judging by the sullen clunk that followed, she'd found her target.

...he gonna be alright?" Naruto peered over her shoulder at the decidedly huntsman-shaped hole down the way. And another. Followed by another. She'd knocked him right out of the dorms. With a pillow. Right, another reason not to get on her bad side.

"He's got Aura. He'll live." she growled.

Something in Amber's eyes told him _he_ wouldn't if he pressed the subject. She wouldn't look at him as she got ready for bed.

...you're angry, aren't you?" still, he had to ask. To not do so would be worse.

Amber didn't move. She blurred.

"Why whatever gave you that idea?" she finally turned to face him and he glimpsed a hint of what might've been _hurt_ in her eyes before she drowned it under an ocean of rage. "Whyever would I be angry at some _two-bit Atlas bitch_ for swooping in and trying to claim at you?" she shook her head and her eyes briefly burned with flames before she mastered herself, hands balling into fists at her sides. "No, Naruto. I'm not angry at you. I'm _furious_ with Winter."

"Why?" he asked as much.

"Why? You're really asking me that?" Her smile was the sweetest thing he'd ever seen. It was just a _little_ too wide, a touch too strained. "Isn't it obvious?" She was forcing it, smiling through the pain; he knew that look all too well; he'd worn it when he was younger. Her eyes gave her away, as did her hands balled at her sides, sparks fisting within. "I finally make a friend and she thinks she can just steal...!"

_"Hey!"_

In hindsight, he wasn't sure what made him hug her again. It was a quick, awkward thing, but it kept her from accidentally unleashing another elemental explosion. Amber turned to a hellcat in his grasp, but that was fine with him; he expected it this time and dodged back when she swiped at him.

"Nobody's stealing me," he soothed. "I promise."

"Good." she grumbled crossly. "I saw you first...so I call dibs. All the dibs."

Too late, she seemed to realize she had spoken the words aloud. Her hands flew to her face, muffling her mouth.

"Eh?" Naruto frowned back at her, realization breaking through the dense wall that was his skull. "What was that last bit just now...?"

"YOU HEARD NOTHING!"

Amber yelped, darted pasted him to slap the light switch off again, and _dove_ into her bed. She pointedly kept her back to him. Naruto opened his mouth in vain to ask again; only for the Maiden to huff and cocoon herself deeper in the blankets. Her silence didn't sting, only confuse him. And with Kurama soundly asleep, he had no way of realizing what he'd done. The war he'd just started. Amber and Winter had disliked one another before he'd landed in this world, but now? It was like throwing an unstoppable force at an immovable object. Disaster waited.

Right, that tore it. Going to bed.

Spinning, he turned and flung himself at his own mattress, resolved to ignore all this nonsense. After such a long day, he didn't expect sleep to come easily to him. Certainly not now; not with his blood up. Nevertheless he tucked his head against the pillow, pulled up the covers, and prayed for sleep to come. Surely that wasn't too much to ask?

The gods answered him and he fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Neo skipped through the streets of Vale._

She did not walk, she did not run, and she certainly did not dance into the night. Alright, maybe she did dance. A little. Scratch that. A lot. Neo absolutely _waltzed_ down the street. She radiated smugness from her every pore, not the simple joy of the child she appeared to be -curse her height!- at a glance, but the grin of a cat who caught a canary and butchered its entire family. That same impish smile wreathed the killer's full lips as she continued to thread through the thinning crowds of panicked; many of whom gave her and her parcel a wide berth. As well they should!

Many of them were too busy _screaming_ to notice her.

Giant golden fox they'd said. Monster, they'd said. Its attacking Beacon, they said.

She laughed silently at their plight and continued on her way, secure in the knowledge that their plight didn't affect her in the least. Bah! Bunch of peasants. No skin off her nose if they died. If they drew the Grimm down on them with all their shrieking and screaming, it was none of her concern. Why should it be? She was a killer, not a huntress. And if she were able to speak, she'd be singing right now, such was her glee. Why, you ask?

Because today had been a good day. No! Not just a good day. Today had been a _very_ good day.

You see, Neo had made a friend. A very special friend indeed.

And said friend had bought her ice cream.

Mismatching eyes of half-lidded cream narrowed in thinly veiled delight as she carried her hard-won hoard home. Secured in light plastic bags, the cartons cradled their contents securely in the cold night, which meant she had no fear of them melting. It also meant she could take her sweet time making her way back to Roman.

In other words? It gave her time to gloat about her new acquaintance and the tentative bond she'd forged.

Blondie was alright, in her book. Better than alright after he'd treated her. She'd considered shanking him on principle when they'd first met -when he'd knocked her down!- but something in his eyes had swiftly disabused her of that notion. Those keen orbs, tired as they seemed at the time, were sharp. His was the gaze of a fighter; not like Roman's but different. Sharper. Stronger. He didn't fight so much with his fists as he did his tongue and not in the good way. He was also something of a chatterbox. That suited Neo just fine. Blondie did enough talking for the both of them.

She turned suddenly, considering.

A giant golden fox, someone had screamed. She'd seen it herself from a distance before it vanished into the night. Great and massive and towering, looming over Beacon. Hadn't her Blondie -and she very much considered him hers by this point!- said something about that? It was just a thought, nothing more than a suspicion, something she had no way of confirming. And yet...and yet. She had the feeling it had been him.

Moreover, she wanted to _see_ him again.

She'd seen the look in his eyes before; glimpsed an expression she knew all too well; one Blondie had tried so hard to hide behind a dumb smile, to no avail. He was cracked. Fractured. Something deep inside of him was off, not right, not quite _there._ It was the look of a man who'd had his worldview shattered, and not in a good way. Someone who had lost everything. He was broken. Just like her. _Heh. _Just the thought of it drew another soundless giggle from her lips as she sauntered home.

You see, Neo _liked_ broken things.

_She'd be sure to tell Roman aaall about this~!_

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Tap._

Morning came with fitful slowness.

_Tap. Tap._

Naruto cracked open sleep-gummed eyes with a long suffering groan, glowered bloody red daggers at the morning light spilling through the window...and rolled right over. His hands flailed for the blankets and yanked the lot of them over his head. Mornings. Were. Evil. Judging by Kurama's groan, the old fox felt much the same. Still, they'd slept...surprisingly well, all things considered. No dreams, no specters, no ghastly premonitions. Just sweet, dreamless slumber. Slumber that had been interrupted by that noise just now. Maybe he'd just go back to sleep...

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Alright! What the devil _was_ that?!

"Raargh!"

With a frustrated sigh the blond shucked his covers and dragged himself out of bed. Bare feet settled against warm carpetry and sprang upright in the same instant, whiskered cheeks pinching in a scowl. Still the incessant sound of someone -or something- tapping against glass demanded his attention. He cast about the room, searching for the source of the sound. It wasn't Amber, he spied her across the room, sound asleep in her bed, her face serene in slumber. She'd turned over at some point during the night, one hand fisted before her face. Huh. Cute.

He found the perpetrator lurking at the locked window.

A lone bird impatiently awaited him on the windowsill beyond, driving its beak against the glass. Naruto could be sure if it was a raven or a crow, only that it was a dark-feathered fowl; one determined to get inside. As he looked the strange little avian fluffed its feathers and shot a nasty caw at him. Then it pecked the window once more. Once. Twice. Thrice. Was it possible for a bird to look annoyed? This one certainly did. It was acting far too human to be an ordinary animal. Which left one answer.

_"Qrow?"_

The bird pecked again.

"C'mon man, its early...whaddya want?"

Without thinking, he opened the latch and the window with it.

Mistakes were made; no sooner had done so than the feathered fiend _launched_ itself at him.

"For crying out loud! Bugger off!" Naruto flailed an arm at the bird as it struck at his face. "Seriously! Shoo! I don't have time for you! Why're ya attacking me?!"

With a rousing rustle of feathers the bird vanished and, a dark-haired woman clad stood before him in all her glory; scarlet eyes mere inches from his. Naruto blinked and Kurama hissed in the same breath. When the woman reached for the blade at her side, they were of one mind on the matter. Naruto backpedaled. Unfortunately in his half-awoken haste he grossly misjudged the distance and ended up cracking the back his head against a wall. He recoiled with an annoyed hiss, clutching at his aching skull.

**"Lovely." **Kurama yawned.** "Another one. What the hell did I miss while I was asleep?!"**

...you're not Qrow." Definitely not. Foot? Meeteth thine mouth. Nice job, Naruto.

Red eyes glowered at him. _Narrowed._ "Naruto Uzumaki. We need to talk."

"Lets not and say we did, eh?" he yawned. "This isn't a good time."

A foreign emotion gleamed in those red orbs. _"Is that so?"_

Naruto took the moment for what it was; a chance to size up the intruder and get a better read on her intentions. Clad entirely in red and black she wore light armor that rather reminded him of someone he'd rather forget and by the log, she looked like she knew how to use that sword of hers. Though she had yet to raise it against him. Oddly enough, he didn't sense any negativity...directed at him, at any rate.

"Look," he began slowly, raising an arm. Her sword rose with it, tracking the movement as he spoke. "I don't know who you are or what you want...but can this wait until after breakfast? Please?"

"What's wrong?" Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the woman arched a black brow. "You weren't afraid to knock my little brother around yesterday. Afraid to test your luck?"

"Ha!" The blond guffawed openly. "Qrow has a sister? Wait." he jabbed a finger at her. "_You're_ his sister?! How did you put up with him?!"

She scoffed. "He's something of an acquired taste." Just as quickly, her eyes narrowed. "And you're stalling."

He couldn't help but grin. "Got it in one."

...hrngh...wha...who's there?"

Naruto turned, narrowly catching a glimpse of a bleary Amber in his peripherals as the stranger advanced on him. Even now his partner was fighting her way out of her bed -albeit slowly- one arm outstretched, bright eyes already burning with the telltale flames that heralded an onrushing surge of her Maiden powers. The stranger saw them and paused. Just for a moment.

"So the Fall Maiden lives." she remarked. "Fascinating. But I didn't come here for you, girl."

"What are you doing?!" Amber's eyes went wide. "Get away from him!"

A portal opened behind Naruto's back. "I don't think so."

Naturally, the blond stepped _away_ from the damn thing; he wanted nothing to do with random portals appearing out of nowhere. Least of all a woman capable of creating them. There was something in her demeanor that instantly set him on edge; or perhaps it was her eyes. They were cold. Dangerously so. These were the eyes of a killer, a woman who wouldn't hesitate to take a life. She knew it. He knew. Perhaps Amber did too; because she shrank back at the ice in that frigid gaze.

Kurama sneered. **"Lovely woman."**

...do you really think I'm going to get in that thing?" Naruto frowned.

"No." the woman shrugged. "If you're half as good as I think you are, _you_ won't...

In that same moment she stepped to Amber and flicked her blade beneath the Fall Maiden's exposed neck.

...but you _will_ if you want your little friend here to see the next sunrise." she purred the words. "In the portal with you. Now. I won't ask again."

Naruto made a split second decision. Rather than attack, he chose the lesser of two evils and lowered his arms. He could attack and risk Amber's life...or give this madwoman what she wanted. Ego demanded he blitz this crazy woman and beat the tar out of her. And yet he hesitated. What if he wasn't fast enough? It would take little more than a twitch to open her throat. He was fast, almost absurdly so...but could he risk it? Yes. Would he risk it? No. He couldn't bear the thought of having her blood on his hands. Amber saw the moment he made his decision and tried to shake her head, to no avail.

"If I go with you, you won't hurt her?" the words escaped him in a growl.

"As I said, she's not the one I'm interested in." the swordswoman shot back. "You are. Don't test me."

He lowered his arms. Seizing the moment, the intruder spun and kicked him through the portal. Against his better judgement, Naruto let her.

_And everything blurred._

**A/N: EDIT! STOPU!**

**RAVEN WHY DO YOU DO THIS?!**

**I don't think you're gonna get that date, Winter...**

**Remember, at this point, Naruto's been in Remnant for a few days after helping Amber fight off Cinder. That's more than enough time for word to spread. He was out cold for several and he's really only spent one up and about. Plus another if you count the morning. That's still enough for word to travel. And we all know the things Raven gets up to. Its been heavily hinted that she's been spying on Ozpin and Qrow for quite awhile by the time we encounter her.**

**Yup. Just did that. Naruto got himself kidnapped; though Raven's in for a rude awakening if she thinks she can keep him. She won't be able to pull something like this again.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**Speakin' a which...**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY! **_

**(Previews)**

_"Send me back."_

_"I will. Once I've said my peace. You're a fool to trust Ozpin."_

_"Yeah. Sure. Ozpin bad. Don't trust him. Great. We done here or what?"_

_Raven -that was the name she'd given- only clicked her tongue. __"Now is that any way for a guest to behave?"_

_"I trust one person in this world." Naruto reared back, golden light beginning to splay across his body. "And you're not her. I'll say it again. Return me to Vale. Or I'll find my way back."_

* * *

_Vernal scoffed. "What's it matter? You're weak. Just like the rest of-_

_She never saw boot fly into her face; barely even felt it._

_Naruto knocked her out with a single kick._

* * *

_"Oh, joy of joys! And who might you be?!"_

_The man had, quite literally, caught him with his pants down. This was what he got for taking a leak in the middle of the night._

_"Naruto...and right back at you." __ with a long suffering sigh, the ninja tugged up the zipper on his trousers and cinched his belt.__ "Who're you?"_

_"Why friend, my name is Tyrian!" much to his dismay, the madman giggled and sketched a shallow bow, stinger sweeping behind his back. "And I'm afraid that is not possible. You see, my assignment from her Grace was to seek out a young man matching your description and retrieve them...so that is what I must do. One does not upset the queen."_

_"Great. Someone else wants to meet me." Naruto growled back, Can't you all just bugger off?!"_

_"I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?"_

_The blond grinned. "Sure. Why not."_

_A crimson blade parted the air where the madmen had stood. It would've taken his head too, if his body hadn't contorted at an impossible angle at the ducked at the last moment._

_"As I live and breathe! Raven Branwen!" he cackled, bounding back to his feet . "A true huntress has entered the fray. I didn't realize this was your territory."_

_"He's MY prisoner. Hands off."_

_"Oi! I'm nobody's prisoner!"_

**_EDIT: Didn't see that coming, did you? Poor Tyrian. Boned you are._**

**_R&R~!_**


	6. Rolling Thunder

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**Well, I've just been informed that a dear friend of mine lost their battle with epilepsy. And I didn't even know about it due to the whole lock down situation.**

**Wow. ****That's...that's rough. I think I'm in shock. Everything just feels numb right now.**

**Aaaaaaaand we've got trolls in the comments again...sigh...**

**In other news, it would seem that we're having some site problems yet again; chapters aren't displaying properly, reviews are appearing in our inboxes, but not the story proper itself. If you could find it in your heart to tell the admins about these glitches, via the Fictionpress twitter and the Support email, hopefully they'll have this fixed soon.**

**Now l****ets answer a few questions, shall we?**

**Q: When can we see Amber fight again?**

**A: Trust me, she's scary when you piss her off.**

**Q: Why does Raven feature so predominately in your stories?**

**A: She does pop up alot in them, doesn't she? Its not a conscious decision on my part, more that she has a role in events. But she isn't in everything. We haven't seen her in Killing Monsters, nor that of Wolf In Sheep's Clothing. Likewise, she has next to no role in Partners in Crime while ****Summer features prominently.**

**Oops. Spoilers. Haven't finished that chapter yet. Or have I~?**

**Q: I foresee Naruto snapping soon. He's been put through a lot already, now this? **

**A: You'd be right. I'd say more, but...well. Thar be spoilers in these waters. Lets just say we're about to see a "World of Cardboard" moment here.**

**Q: Why did Naruto let Raven kick him through the portal?**

**A:**** This again? I've explained that. Even said as much in the last chapter. Raven had Amber at her mercy. The merest flick of her wrist would have slit her throat. Could Naruto have stopped that from happening? Almost certainly. He's just about the fastest thing in Remnant right now, though he doesn't yet know that. That aside, panic does funny things to your brain and our boy's not so full of himself as to risk a life. There was a slim chance, a tiny sliver of a second, where Raven _might_ have been able to kill Amber before he reached her. Might.**

**Naruto isn't the sort to risk someone's life. His own, certainly. Never an innocent.**

**Q: Why was Birdie even in Vale anyway?**

**A: As to why Raven wants to have a "chat" with Naruto that badly...well. I DID say his little sky-splitting feat caught a lot of attention. And she's had an eye on Beacon for awhile now. ****Now, then! We pick up right where we left of; Naruto's out of the portal, Raven's right behind him, and he ain't happy.**

**Get ready for a brawl. ****Not a fight, an absolute. Bloody. BRAWL.**

**Our boy is angry, full of adrenaline, and currently fearful for Amber's life.**

**As ever, I own no references, themes, or memes. They're uses for entertainment purposes and laughter alone!**

_"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man._

_Me? I've got a different problem. I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break _someone_. __Ever since I came to Remnant, I've__ been holding back. Never allowing myself to truly lose control even for a moment, or someone could _die_. But you can take it, can't you, big girl? You said it yourself. You're beyond a huntress. You're the Spring Maiden. What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how powerful I really am. Now, then._

_CLENCH. YOUR. TEETH."_

_~an angry shinobi._

**Rolling Thunder**

_This world really had a bone to pick with him, didn't it?_

It was the only explanation that made a lick of sense to Naruto anymore. No matter what he tried, regardless of what he said or did, he seemed fated to stumble from one disaster to another without end. He hadn't even been in Remnant for a month yet and already, he felt like he was losing his mind. For all his effort at being a peaceful man, reality wanted to roll right over him.

As such, the very moment -the very instant!- Naruto tumbled out of Raven's portal, so too did he lash out at the first thing he saw.

"Be a good boy and stay put for a bit." her voice chased after him through the nebulous tether. "I'll join you shortly."

_"Raargh!"_

He swung around, just in time to see the gateway gutter out behind him, leaving him trapped in...well...wherever the hell this was. A tent? This looked like a tent. He barely saw it, didn't care a with for the opulent fabrics or shiny trinkets sprawled around the room. Blue eyes narrowed to hooded slits and a golden limb thundered down, blindly smashing the first thing within reach. A wooden table splintered beneath his fist, shattered like so much kindling. Unfortunately, so did the lamp placed upon it. Fire flickered out and he stomped it down just as angrily.

**"Calm down."** Ironically, it was Kurama who proved the voice of reason. **"We'll get her back."**

"You don't know that!" his very voice shook the earth. "She could be anywhere by now! Its my fault! If I hadn't...!"

**"Stop throwing a tantrum and think for a moment!"** A jarring headache snapped his head to the side before he could storm out of the tent and do something reckless. **"We were caught off guard. I didn't think she'd go after Amber, and neither did you. Are you going to let it happen again?"**

_"Of course not!"_

**"There you have it, then."** In his mind's eye, Naruto saw his partner roll over and exhaled a thin cloud of steam.** "When that woman reappears, and something tells me she will soon, we'll deal with her."**

"But it was my fault! If I hadn't goofed around...

Even now he cursed himself for his own mistakes; knowing there was no one else to blame but himself. He'd been the one to open the window; made the mistake of letting Raven in. Everything had snowballed from there _and it was all his fault._ His and his alone. She probably had Amber at her mercy even now. What else could he do? Blitzed her? He might have reached Amber in time...or he might've seen her die. His mark allowed him to heal many things, but there was no bringing someone back from a beheading. His ego wasn't so large as to believe he could do_ that._ And he wasn't willing to risk her life for foolish pride.

**"You're not infallible."** the next retort cooled his heels. **"That's what makes you human."**

"Aren't you angry?" Naruto asked.

**"Of course I'm angry."** a low growl pushed itself through the fox's jaws. **"I'm just better at hiding than you. And...well...**

"Eh?" The sudden hesitation put a dent in Naruto's anger, enough to give him pause. "What's this now?"

**...I'd rather not see your Maiden come to harm. That's all."**

"Wait. My Maiden?" Naruto blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Realization broke like the dawn and a loud guffaw burst from his lips. "Aha!" he cried, jabbing a finger at him! "You're sweet on her!"

**"That has nothing to do with it! She's simply more tolerable than the Schnee!"**

Laughing helped; because his partner's discomfort gave him something to focus on beside the rage. Naruto blew out a trembling breath through clenched teeth and willed himself to uncurl his fists. Deep, primal anger seethed just below the surface of his skin, a seething vat of fury that he only narrowly managed to slam a lid on. He knew, of course. They both did knew there was nothing they could have done. Raven had them by the balls...for now. They'd just have turn the tables. Soon. And they would. They'd overcome worst odds than this before.

...thanks." he sighed, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye. "I think...I think I needed that. Still gonna kick that bird's ass, though."

**"Damn straight we will."** for a sliver of a second, he caught a flash of teeth in his mind's eye.** "Just you wait. She'll never see it coming."**

It really was one thing after another, wasn't it? First came that bloody debacle with Amber assassins, then Qrow provoked him into a fight, followed soon thereafter by Winter's tantrum. Now along came a new danger, and he didn't even know her name. He knew next-to-nothing about her at all, save that she was Qrow's sister. She certainly _acted_ like a Branwen, crashing into his life and throwing everything into disarray without so much as a care in the world. Was it so wrong to want a moment's rest? Apparently so!

_Damnit. No anger. Just calm down...!_

With his emotions mastered once more, Naruto exhaled in a put upon sigh and took a step back to survey his surroundings. He really was in a tent of some sort; excluding the heavy fabrics and blankets, there was nearly no light in here at all now that he'd smashed the lamp. Even now he could see that faintest ray of sunlight peeking through the flap, hinting at the world beyond. Kurama fell curiously silent in his head, leaving him with no other recourse but to venture forth.

"Well," he muttered, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Gritting his teeth, he stalked out of the tent, peeled the flap back, and emerged into daylight.

Blue eyes squinted at the camp that lay beyond...if one could call it such. By his reckoning it was little more than a ramshackle dwelling all things considered, an open enclosure surrounded by a wooden palisade consisting and a single gate. The people here looked rough, and their homes rougher still, though the shoddily built huts and leaning tents suggested a lifestyle favoring quantity over quality.

Speaking of tents, he'd just stepped out of the biggest of the bunch. "Aw, hell."

Had that been the end of it, he might yet have escaped without drawing any attention to himself.

_It wasn't meant to be._

You see, the very moment Naruto set food outside _her_ tent, a series of harsh clicks reached his ears. He looked up, knowing at once what he would find there and not any happier for it. A wall of bodies greeted him, easily two dozen strong, if not more. Also not a problem. Nor were the weapons in their hands.

"Move, you dolts!" an unfamiliar voice cried somewhere near the back of the crowd. "Lemme through!"

A young girl with piercing blue eyes and dirty brown hair elbowed her way through the mob of miscreants to regard him intently, heedless of their difference in stature. Nevermind the fact that she had to look up at him, she still conveyed her sheer presence through silence alone. Clad in ragged leathers as she was, and with little more than a knife at her side, she didn't seem like she would be in charge of such a motley crew. Yet they heeded her words all the same and made way for her.

"That's him." she stabbed a finger at him. "He's the one Raven told us to expect. Take him."

Aha. There it was. A name to go with the face. Naruto bit back a sigh as his blue eyes blazed red. Still, he held his ground. "You got a name, kiddo?"

"Vernal." the youngster snorted back and crossed both arms before her chest. "Not that it matters to you, dip-shit."

His mouth twitched into the barest beginnings of a smile. "Language."

"Piss off." she raised a lone finger in salute. "You're not my dad."

"And on that note," he shook his head, "I don't think I'll be going with any of you."

"We're the Branwen tribe!" one of them crowed, "Most feared bandits in Mistral! Don't mess with us!"

Naruto perked up. In hindsight, perhaps that one should've kept his mouth shut. Until now, he hadn't quite considered them criminals.

Bandits?

Now that he turned his senses outward he could feel their emotions, some were little more than common thugs, others...others were worse. They washed over him in an ugly wave of filth, staining his very soul. Liars and thieves. Murderers and rapists. Unclean. Scum. Filth. These people -their leader!- had threatened him. Naruto didn't mind that. He was used to threats. He'd grown inured to them over the years. But they'd tried to hurt Amber; that poor innocent girl who wanted nothing more than a normal life. And that...well. That was_ unforgivable. _

A slow smile spread across Naruto's face. "Bandits, you say?"

Kurama mirrored the expression. **"Well, well, well. That simplifies thing, doesn't it? Lets seem them report to their master if they're out cold."**

"Put him a cell." Vernal ordered, utterly unaware of the dialogue taking place. "He can cool his heels there until Raven gets back." It was the final nail in the tribe's coffin.

Naruto didn't snap. Snapping implied losing oneself to a mindless frothing rage, going berserk with anger. His was colder. A quiet, glacial fury, a supernatural calm that settle over him even as the blood in his veins turned to so much ice. There was no need for Sage Mode here, much less Kurama's aid. His fists would be more than enough for what he had planned. Raven wanted to try and take someone from him? Fine. He'd steal everything from her in return.

Thus smiling, he raised his hands as two men stepped forward to bring him in.

Naruto's hesitation had already cost him dearly once. No longer. Fuck fate and damn destiny. He refused to let himself be pushed around any longer. These people were thugs and criminals. Criminals respected two things. Strength and fear. _Fine._ Just this once, he'd show them fear. Fear was all he felt right now; fear for himself, fear for Amber's life. Given his present situation, he was something of a savant when it came that emotion. Fear drove him to make a reckless decision indeed.

Strong arms took hold of his shoulders for a moment. Only a moment.

_Then the air absolutely ignited._

"GET! OFF!"

With a flick of his wrist and a roar of rage the blond wrenched his right arm free and swung it backwards in a blistering backhand. His reward was a man's strangled grunt; one that became a piercing scream as the blond dug his fingers in, grabbed him by the face and pulled. Blood splashed across his sleeve and he summarily ignored it as he tore his left hand loose and smashed it against the nose of his second captor. This time there could be no mistaking the awful hideous crunch of crushed cartilage and broken bone as the poor sod crumpled to the ground.

Every weapon in the camp trained itself on him at once. Good. Just as he'd planned.

"Do I have your attention now?" Naruto tilted his head with a hum, heedless of the blood on his face.

Credit where it was due, Vernal realized what was about to happen next. She just wasn't fast enough to prevent it.

"No, you idiots!" she raised an arm, trying to stop them from unleashing further chaos in the camp. "Don't shoot! He'll escape!"

_They shot._

Naruto could've taken that moment to run; fled away over the barrier and into the woods. No one would've caught him. But he didn't want to escape. Instead, he chose to stand his ground. Dust rounds pinged harmlessly off his chest and shoulders Kurama's golden cloak as the fox howled to life around him, and with a wave of his hands, he directed his chakra back and outward. Countless golden arms burst from his body like a torrent of angry snakes, seizing and crushing everything in reach, all within sight. Bone. Flesh. Metal. Everything yielded to him, men and women dropped like flies, screaming and howling.

He didn't even deign to face the rest. He simply inhaled, chest swelling with air. Vernal dove for cover just as he breathed out.

Chakra is a potent thing; the chakra of a tailed beast, even more so. The sheer force behind his roar slammed the stragglers into one another and sent them sprawling, dashing them against each other. A second scream brought half the wall down. A third ripped the gate from its hinges, launching it down the road like a leaf on the wind.

One of the survivors rushed him through the smoke with a roar, waving a machete.

Naruto mule kicked the bastard _through_ what remained of the palisade, creating a shower of wood and bloody splinters. That one didn't get back up. How odd. He didn't feel any guilt for his death. Why had he been afraid of hurting people like this at all? It felt freeing. Liberating. Scum deserved to die, didn't they? Was that the anger talking?

That left the runt from before, quivering at his feet. Now that he looked at her, Vernal really _was_ just a kid. One who might've been forced to grow up faster than she would've liked, but a child nonetheless. She couldn't be more than fourteen. Fifteen at the most. She looked absolutely terrified. Of course she was. He'd dismantled most of the camp in thirty seconds.

Still, something in him hesitated and he lowered his arm. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hit a kid."

"I'm no kid!" the urchin growled back at him. "I'm a proud member of this tribe!"

"Whatever you say. Look, just stay there and you won't be hurt."

A sixth sense shrieked a warning the moment he turned his back on her; even then he was

_"Die!"_

Naruto willed his body to pulse _gold_ for the merest of moments and the crude knife _shattered_ into countless shards on his shoulder. With nowhere else to go but up, the shrapnel slashed into the poor girl's palm with brutal intensity. Vernal cried out in surprise and stumbled back, clutching her bloodied hand. Wide eyes balked at him, the ruined hilt she clutched, her own blood, and back again.

"What the hell are you?!"

"Are ya done?" Naruto frowned. "You should probably get that looked at."

"Fine." her shoulders slumped in defeat and she hung her head. "I see how it is. If you're gonna kill me, be quick about it."

**...what the actual hell."** Now it was Kurama's turn to balk. **"You can't be serious. Just what kind of environment was she raised in?!"**

"Kill you?" Naruto seconded the sentiment with a scowl of his own. "Why would I do that?"

"The strong kill the weak." icy blue eyes gazed up into his own. "That's the way of the world. Raven will avenge me."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Raven didn't strike him as the sort to care for anyone but herself. Perhaps she did. He doubted it.

Vernal sniffled. "What, you scared? Ha! then you're weak. Just like-

Naruto sent her sprawling with a single roundhouse kick.

She never saw his boot fly into her face until it was too late; barely even felt the pain, such was its intensity. Her world went white. By Naruto's standards it was a weak attack on his part; he could've snapped her neck if he hadn't held back at the last second. Unfortunately, this left the crazed girl conscious. Dazed and angry, but still very much awake.

"Now why did ya have to do that?" he blew out an angry breath. "You can't hurt me. Stay down. Don't make me knock you out."

She leaped onto his back the moment he turned away.

"Off!" he ripped her free and tried to depart, only for her to grab his ankle.

"I'm...not done...

**"Don't ignore her."** Kurama cautioned. **"That's a good way to get another knife in your spine."**

"Then what do you suggest I do?!" he hissed back.

**"Scare her. Put the kid to bed."**

_...fine."_

"You know what? You're right." Steeling himself, Naruto looked over her and cut a grin, teeth flashing in the gloom. "Ya ain't a kid. You're a member of Raven's tribe." Two steps carried him toward the startled girl, leaving him looming over her, casting her small body in his shadow. Credit where it was due, Vernal didn't buckle. "Wh**ich makes you a pig."** until he modulated his voice to sound very much like the beast he housed; then those knees began to tremble. **"Pigs should be slaughtered." **he leaned closer still, forehead pressing against hers, red eyes boring into blue.** "Where should we start, little piggy? Your lungs, perhaps? Pancreas? So many places to stab, so little time~!"**

In the end it was too much for Vernal bear; a single spike of killing intent finished the job and solidified his lie; with a wordless gurgle she toppled backward foaming at the mouth.

Naruto nimbly caught her and lowered her to the floor. Only then did he wince and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you _were_ right. That did it."

He didn't relish the idea of killing anyone. But he accepted the necessity of it. He wasn't above breaking a few bones.

Or perhaps...every bone in their bodies? Hmm. Yeah. That sounded about right.

_Cracking his knuckles, he turned his attention to the remaining bandits._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_"You're going to die. I hope you realize that."_

Not half bad, as far as last words went. Raven hadn't seen such resolve in a long, long time, least of all a look like _that_. She considered the girl she had at sword-point. She did not weep. Did not beg for mercy. Nor did she tremble. Even as Omen's scarlet edge caressed the nape of her neck, her golden eyes gazed unfalteringly up at her, even as she informed her of her own imminent demise. She certainly had spunk, if nothing else.

This girl would make putty out of little Vernal.

There was a fire there, a grit her apprentice still lacked. Amber had seen death, danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, and come out stronger for it. Oh, there was fear in her eyes to be sure; fear of her, of her death and all that it entailed. But despite that fear, she stayed strong.

"You think you can kill me?" She scoffed. "You're too green."

"Not me." Those burning golden orbs narrowed upon her. "Naruto. He won't let you get away with this."

"Ha!" a sharp, disbelieving guffaw burst from the older woman. "That kid? He's not a killer. Not yet, at any rate."

"Naruto's not like that!"

"Is he now?" Raven cocked her head and granted her a cruel smile. "I watched him bat my baby brother around like a schoolyard bully. He dismantled the Schnee in even less time. He's strong. He just needs...a little push to have the right mindset.

The girl tried to surge up, but Omen tightened against her throat.

"Ah, ah, ah!" she cooed. "Don't move just yet. It would be a shame to get blood on the carpet."

"You're right." Amber agreed wholeheartedly, suddenly, surprising her. "Naruto wouldn't kill a good person. But you?" her smile stuck with her, small and secretive, and it planted a seed of doubt in Raven's heart. "Look at what you've done. You took me hostage, kicked him through a portal leading to gods-knows-where, and left my fate hanging over him like a guillotine. Who knows?" slim shoulders rose in a stiff shrug as her captor began to glower at her, "He probably thinks you're torturing me even now." With each word her voice rose, ire growing, heat building. "How you think he's going to take that?"

She paused, letting the words sink in and take root.

"I've seen him fight too, you know." the words dipped suddenly, become a furious whisper. "You didn't see _that_ one. I don't know what edge you think you have, but it won't be enough. You have no chance."

Pride roared back to life in Raven's heart and she furiously stamped it down, to no avail. "Maybe I should kill you then and be done with it."

"You could." Amber shrugged. "I wouldn't be able to stop you. But it would be a bad death...

Raven sneered. "That's what I thought."

...for you."

_Cheeky little shit!_

She thought herself safe, thought she was untouchable. She was right, in a sense. Her life had value.

"You're the Spring Maiden, aren't you?"

Raven stiffened and nearly cut her throat right then and there; it was this very rigidity that betrayed her.

"How...?"

"I'm more attuned to my powers than most." Amber retorted glibly. How could she be so calm with a sword at her throat?! "Until now I suspected, but I wasn't sure. Atlas still has their Maiden. Nobody gives a damn about Vacuo. The only one that's been missing is Spring." she held up another finger, completing her calculation. "And you wouldn't be so confident about facing Naruto unless you had that kind of power. Meaning you either have a Relic -unlikely!- or powers similar to mine. Seems I was right."

_Kill her._ A nasty little voice hissed in Raven's ear._ She knows too much. You've ended one Maiden before, why not another? What's stopping you?_

Because she was a coward. Amber clearly wasn't. Huh. This was a strange feeling. She actually felt pride for someone else. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by all this unyielding rage toward her captive. Omen's blood red blade trembled for a moment, itching for action. Raven reluctantly drew it down a hair.

"I'm not going to fight him." she answered finally. "Though I dare say I'd still win. I just want to speak with him. You were merely a means to an end."

"Are you going to kill me or not, then?" Amber demanded.

Temptation reared its ugly head once more. "Perhaps I should. You annoy me."

Was it possible to hold the power of multiple Maidens? She already commanded the full might of Spring. What would she be like if she added the power of Fall to her own?

She was tempted...

"No."

...but in the end, she thought better of it. She'd already run the risk of pissing that _thing _off, and slaying his significant other would only enrage him further. Taking her captive would be even worse; she was certain that the boy would fly into a furious rage if she even attempted such a thing. Moreover, it would paint a big red target on her back. Salem would hunt her. Ozpin would hunt her; she'd have no peace. Ozpin, she didn't fear, but Salem? Salem couldn't be killed. Salem would just keep coming, driving at her again and again until she broke. And make no mistake, she _would_ break.

You couldn't beat something like that.

But with the girl alive, here in Beacon, Salem's attention would be focused on _her_ for the foreseeable future. On Vale. Amber. Better the Maiden she knew than the one she didn't. That served her purposes just fine. Amber had only ever been a temporary hostage at best, used once to get her message across, and then released-

All at once, the door swung open and such thoughts were swept away on the wind.

"Hey, kiddo." Qrow's head poked inside. "Ozpin sent me to pick...you...up...

His words trailed off as he saw them, rather, her blade against Amber's throat.

"Well, shit." Raven said less-than-eloquently.

_And the little bitch grinned at her!_

Raven saw the smallest of smiles flit across Amber's visage for the merest of moments. Then the Fall Maiden turned a pleading expression and haunted eyes toward the younger Branwen. Raven knew what was about to happen and tried to clamp her free hand over the girl's mouth, but that only earned her brother's immediate ire. Really, she had no one to blame but herself for the events that transpired. Amber reared back and bit her with vicious force, bloodying her hand and causing her to recoil with a yelp.

Of course, the little minx took that opportunity to _dive_ out from under her and tumble to Qrow's side. He only narrowly caught her, looking just as flummoxed as she fet.

"Uncle Qrow!" the Fall Maiden wailed through crocodile tears," Help! She's the Spring Maiden! She took Naruto and tried to kill me!"

"Bwyuh?" he sputtered.

"Lies!" Raven howled. Blast it. She wanted to cry. Today just wasn't her day!

Amber twisted the emotional knife in her brother's gut and buried her face in his chest. "No! _She's_ lying! Don't let her kill meee!"

Raven knew her brother well. Almost too well. She knew his tweaks, his tells, and what pissed him off. And what she'd just said? There was something about the words "Uncle" and "Qrow" when combined together with "Don't let her kill me" that set her sibling into a righteous fury. She witnessed the moment those words registered, saw his red eyes narrow upon her. Damnit. Amber's actions had conjured up a perfect storm and there was _nothing_ she could do to stop it.

"Don't worry." Harbinger sailed free with a wordless hiss and his own words emerged as a growl. "I won't."

Nope. She wasn't about to fight her brother here. Not with little miss Fall Maiden at her back. She couldn't kill her, but she couldn't let her go with that knowledge either. The optimal choice would be to kill her and Qrow both, ensuring the information never left this room...but she couldn't kill them. Not while they presented a united front.

"This isn't over!"

Ran yanked her blade through the air, cut a portal to the right of herself, and dove to safety. It was a good plan. Admirable, even. Those who ran away lived to fight another day. Until her brother's blade slammed into her unprotected back and tore a chunk out of her aura and flesh alike. Pain blazed her vision red. Raven had time enough to gasp in pain as she tumbled through.

_Then she crashed through to what she prayed was safety._

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

_Everything was on fire._

Raven realized her mistake the moment she'd emerged from her portal; realized she hadn't found safety at all, but the absence of it.

Upon her less-than-triumphant return, the leader of the Branwen Tribe was not greeted by her band of bandits, but by smoke and flame. In her absence she'd laid waste to her camp. What camp? Nearly the entire clearing had been leveled, sparing only her tent and a few bits of wood. The heaps of groaning bodies amidst the ruin did little to assuage her own concerns. Ruined. He'd ruined her tribe.

It would take months to rebuild this, if not not longer. Nevermind recruiting. They'd be crippled for years because of this.

_She never saw his fist._

Raven was still in the process of stepping out of her portal -of closing it! when a pair of clenched knuckles barreled into the side of her face and sent her body spinning into the dirt. Pain flared in her cheek and when she tried to rise, a vicious kick cracked her ribs and her skipping across the camp like a flung stone.

"There you are," a rough, angry voice drawled somewhere behind her. "You kept me waiting."

Scrambling backward like a drunken crab, she struggled to right herself and not a moment too soon. A tan fist slammed down into the space she'd just occupied, fracturing the earth. She had time enough to glimpse a blur of gold and black before she found her footing again. She didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Where's Amber?"

Of course. That _would_ be the first thing he asked.

"Safe in her room." she snorted. "Your girl made quite the mess for me."

It was the wrong thing to say, judging by the way his eyes went slitted. "Send me back."

"I will." she reassured, careful to keep her blade between them." Once I've said my peace. You're a fool to trust Ozpin."

"Yeah. Sure. Ozpin bad." Naruto frowned back, dismissing her words out of turn. "Don't trust him. Great. We done here or what?"

Impudent little...! No. She needed him. Raven willed her temper to be still and clicked her tongue. "Now is that any way for a guest to behave?"

"I trust one person in this world." the blond reared back, golden light beginning to splay across his body. "And you're not her. I'll say it again. Return me to Vale. Or I'll find my way back."

"You kill me, you'll never get back there." she grinned back at him and wiped a thin line of blood from her nose. "How long will it take you to find your way? Days? Weeks? You won't leave. You need me."

"Do I?" He went terribly still. "I'll take my chances."

"What? No! Wait!"

Naruto pounced on Raven and bloodied her nose before she could get her blade up in time. Behind her the portal guttered out harmlessly, leaving her target trapped. That should have been a relief. It was not. The next blow nearly broke her neck and knocked a tooth loose as her head snapped violently to the side. She caught the second and threw one of her own, earning a stunning headbutt for her troubles. She clawed at him and he he grabbed her wrists, slamming her against one of the few standing structures in camp.

Then and only then did she glimpse the visage of her so-called prey.

Startled red eyes went wide as they met a pair of furious hooded slits not unlike her own, framed by an equally furious face. His fist shot up, and came crashing down.

_I've blundered, _she realized.

She took the next punch on her chin and kicked out, launching him away with a gust of wind. It didn't last. He twisted his body in the air, caromed off one of the few remaining walls, and bounded back at her with a roar of absolute fury. Against her better judgement, Raven tried to stand her ground. It was like getting run over by a train. With her current wounds, it felt like a swarm of Nevermore had pecked her to pieces.

So much for being inconspicuous. The cat was out of the bag anyway.

"Enough!"

She flung both arms out at her sides and took flight, summoning a storm with all the fury of the season she embodied. High above the blue sky darkened, black clouds swarming in faster than a plague of locusts. Lightning rippled through the heavens, bringing with it a bleak peal of thunder. It didn't drive Naruto back, but it did give him pause. A brief moment of respite that she used to catch her breath. She needed to stop. Needed to think, get control of the situation before it spiraled even further out of control.

"You're like Amber." those keen red eyes rose to regard her. It wasn't a question but a damning statement.

A muscle jumped in Raven's jaw. "You...this is all your fault! You ruined everything!"

She flung a bolt of lighting at him and he batted it aside.

_"What do you have to say for yourself?!"_

"There are three things all wise men fear," she craned her ear to listen as he righted himself. "The sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man. Me? I've got a different problem."

The faintest whisper at her back as her only warning before a golden light struck her to the ground.

"I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break someone."

Raven righted herself and took flight once more, only for another unseen blow to batter her through a tree and send her tumbling back to the earth.

"Ever since I came to Remnant, I've been holding back. Never allowing myself to truly lose control even for a moment, or someone could die. But you can take it, can't you, big girl?"

A torrent of ice crashed down on the blond's position, skewering him from head to toe. Until his body went up in so much smoke. Raven hissed and conjured a fireball to her palm, searching for him. Strong hands grabbed her hair and whipped her down into her tent like a falling star. She thrashed upright, tangled in the fabric, gave up and blasted it free with a rush of wind. She swung Omen at the first hint of light, straining for an edge to dig her blade into. Something. Anything.

She succeeded...but not in the way she'd hoped.

"You're no mere huntress." rather than dodge, Naruto caught her sword with his teeth, shattered it with a single bite, and slapped her right across the head with its ruined hilt. "You're a Maiden." he reeled her back in as she staggered away and launched her into another pile of burning debris with another kick. "What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how powerful I really am. Now, then_."_

Even as she pried herself lose from the rubble, Naruto was upon her. His right fist swung back and snapped forward like a piston.

_"CLENCH. YOUR. TEETH."_

By some miracle Raven managed to get away from his next attack; the shockwave alone threatened to knock her out; that punch would've likely taken her head clean off.

"Are you running away now?" he called up at her as she took flight once more.

His words did nothing to dim the storm, nor her fury. Her ruse was ruined. Her tribe in shambles. People would talk.

Worse, she would have no way of keeping her secret now, much less leading the tribe after this. Salem would hunt her without relent. Bah. Didn't matter. She didn't care. What was once meant to be a simple dialogue had devolved into a bitter fight, one she intended to win. They were looking down on her, all of them, always looking down on her! Merely the thought if made her blood boil.

She just needed to beat him into the ground. Knock the defiance out of him. They could talk later. After she crushed him.

Here in this moment, Raven Branwen felt only the thrill of her powers coursing through her veins and a burning need to blast someone to cinders. As Naruto was the only standing target for miles in any given direction, he was made it by default. He was the cause of her frustrations. Him. She'd just wanted to talk but_ nooooo,_ he and his allies had made everything so bloody complicated!

_No more! Enough of this! It ends now!_

"You are beneath me!" the words tore out of her in a shriek, rising on keening winds as the clouds curled around her. "I am the Spring Maiden, you dull creature! And I will not be bullied by the likes of-gack?!"

Firm fingers closed around her right ankle as the blond leaped up to meet her.

Red eyes bulged in their sockets to meet savage scarlet.

"Oh." Raven choked the syllable out.

Then her face became intimate with the ground in a way no self respecting huntress desired. Left. Right. Up. Down. Center. Naruto whipped her body back and forth into the earth with reckless abandon as though she were a doll of straw, caring not a wit for her cries of pain nor the treacherous creaking of her bones. Back and forth. Forth and back, until finally, Raven's battered aura could take no more. It gave way with a tortured squeal of sparks as her collarbone cracked and something gave way in her spine.

"There you go." And just like that, the blond dropped her to the earth. "Puny Maiden."

Raven tried to offer a retort, but managed only a tiny squeak of pain.

_Then she tumbled into the sweet release of slumber._

**A/N: References are references.**

**EDIT! STOPU! READ THIS, LEST YE BE CONFUSED!**

**First off, Raven ain't dead. She just made a massive miscalculation. ****Amber really pulled one over on her, didn't she?**

**...did Naruto just take over the Branwen tribe? Kinda feels like he did, huh. They're all about strength and he just beat their leader into the ground.**

**Our boy's absolutely had enough of everyone's shit and the bandits are paying with blood and bruises alike. Unfortunately, ****I had to save the Tyrian bit for next chapter, it would've just felt too rushed here and I didn't want to rush things. ****As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**Speakin' a which...**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY! **_

**(Previews)**

_Raven immediately regretted opening her eyes._

_"Lets have a little chat." Naruto hummed as he pressed a knife to her throat._

* * *

_He didn't expect the survivors to bend the knee to him._

_"You are the strongest. The tribe bows to you."_

_Naruto's jaw clicked open. "Eh?"_

* * *

_"Take me with you!"_

_Of all the responses, he'd not expected that._

_"You're strong." As he looked on, little Vernal adjusted the straps on her pack and tried not to falter beneath his gaze. "You beat Raven like it was nothing. I...um, well. I didn't think you could do it. But you did." her nose wrinkled as she struggled with the words. "That's true strength. I want that. I need that. I don't want to be weak again. Please!" She all but threw herself at his feet. "Teach me!"_

_**"Aw,"** Kurama crooned, **"You have a student."**_

_"Bite me, furball!"_

**_R&R~!_**


	7. Poisoned Words

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**Here you go, more than 12K+ words for you. Looking forward to your reviews~!**

**WARNING! ****You may come to hate Raven in this chapter. Or pity her. Perhaps both. That's alright. Its entirely intentional. She's...not a complicated person. We'll have to see if time can change her.**

**Aaaaaaaand we've got even MORE trolls and death threats in the comments again...sigh...I'm getting so tired of deleting them...**

**Now l****ets answer a few questions, shall we?**

**Q: Why is Naruto so emotional in this?**

**A: He's rather overwhelmed at the moment. Think of it from his perspective. First, he's burdened by the guilt of killing Sasuke -who is well and truly dead!- and trapped in a world he doesn't know. From the moment Naruto crash-landed in Remnant he's been harassed and hounded at almost every turn. He's had no peace, very little sleep, and now he's accidentally killed people. Again. And then comes Raven, holding Amber hostage and dripping poison in our boy's ear.**

**If he wanted to, he could've nuked the crap out of the Branwen Tribe. He didn't, but the possibility was there.**

**Imagine how that must feel. Poor guy just needs some time to cool off.**

**Q: What happened to your update schedule? Its been ages!**

**A: Unfortunately, the Coronavirus happened. I've been trapped in my house for the better part of this month and only recently recovered. You'd think that would give me more time to write, but that was nigh on impossible for me due to my health.**

**Q: This reminds me of Relic of the Future. Didn't realize you were a fan.**

**A: Yup~! As I've said in Everybody Loves Cookies and other tales, I'm a massive fan of Coeur Al'Aran and his work. He's an absolute marvel. I've not seen any stories where Vernal is given a better chance -and a better life!- outside of the tribe, so when the opportunity presented itself, me and my team ran with it.**

**Q: Soo...you've got designs on Vernal, I see.**

**A: We do, indeed! My team and I thought it would be a nice twist; and we've not seen a story with Little!Vernal running about. Lets face it, she had a bad death in canon, and that was a horrid way to go. Its one of the few scenes that we refuse to rewatch in Ruby.**

**Q: Waitaminute! Naruto has a chance to get at the Relic of Knowledge now! Right?! Does he know about the Relics? He's literally got Raven under his thumb after that beating...**

**A: This chapter tells all.**

**Q: So what's the deal with the pairing? Naruto only seems interested in Amber at the moment.**

**A: For good reason! At this point in time, Amber is the sole person Naruto trusts in Remnant. Neo's still very much an acquaintance to him at this point, and he doesn't know what to do with Winter after her shenanigans. Think on this for a moment. Qrow tried to manipulate him. Ozpin outright admitted to it. Glynda was rude, and Ironwood is very much an unknown. Don't even get me started about Raven, who gets called on her crap in this chapter. ****Amber is the SOLE person who's been honest with him. She's stood up for him, time and again. That means the world to him.**

**Q: Is it just me, or is Ozpin trying to push Naruto and Amber together?**

**A: Well, as for**** NarutoxAmber...Ozpin ships it. Very much so. In his mind, our boy's the ideal guard for her. ****Think on it for a moment. From what he's seen thus far, not only can Naruto fight someone like Qrow to a standstill and then WIN, but he knows Naruto to be fiercely loyal to Amber. Who better to watch over her?**

**As ever, I own no quotes, no references, no themes, and certainly no memes.**

** They're used for entertainment purposes and laughter alone!**

_"Can't this thing go any faster?!"_

_"Its an airship, firefly. Not a bloody dragon! Whaddya want me to do?!"_

_...if we get there and anything's happened to him, I'm blaming your Semblance!"_

_"He'll be alright. Kid's tough. No way he won't put up a fight. Not after the one he gave me-_

_"Qrow."_

_"Eh?"_

_"DRIVE. FASTER." _

_~Amber and Qrow._

**Poisoned Words**

_Oh, happy day! What a lovely day to be alive, indeed~!_

What fortune! What joy! What stupendous luck they'd been graced with~!

Well. Fortunate for _Tyrian Callows._ Not so the bandits. Unlucky bunch, that lot.

The faunus in question rubbed his hands together and stifled a giggle against the heel of one palm as he observed the smoldering camp before him. Well. This couldn't really be called a camp anymore, now. It looked like a herd of angry Goliath had rampaged through the enclosure, rounded back, then stamped on the ashes for good measure. Tyrian knew better, for he'd been told the truth. This was the work of one man. Singular. Not plural by any means, oh, no, no, no! A fresh face in the neverending war between Salem, his graceful goddess, and Ozpin the insufferable parasite who simply refused to die.

This was someone new!

Tail swaying gleefully beneath his coat, he crept through the brush and edged toward the treeline. He wanted nothing more than to cackle, but that would reveal himself. So he held it in and watched from afar, careful not to make himself known as he crept through the brush.

Lionheart, ever the diligent coward, had been quick to inform Her Grace of the storm he'd seen. He'd called it a tempest unlike any other.

A Maiden had fought here. And lost, by the look of it. Lost badly. And if he could secure them...well! All the better. Surely, Salem would be pleased with him.

Tyrian's goddess saw everything. His goddess knew all. His goddess had ears throughout every kingdom. Lionheart was merely one of many. Salem had been most intrigued by sweet Cinder's report already -yes, most intrigued indeed!- but such a display had drawn her focus more than any other. And so while poor Cinder languished in her failure and recovered from her injuries, Salem sent him to investigate. Him! Her most devoted of agents, her most faithful of followers. She wanted to meet this man, to have words with him, and so here he was. Eager to do her bidding, eager to see the aftermath for himself.

It.

Was.

Glorious.

Such beautiful destruction! Such delicious carnage! Why, it almost made Tyrian want to sing! And he was quite the singer, he'd have you know!

Framed in the fading light of the setting sun, the famed Branwen Tribe was little more than a shadow of its former self. What had once been an imposing fortress had become a smoldering ruin lit by torches and guarded by a handful of survivors. He wondered if it would stay that way. Would they try to rebuild? Or would they scatter to the winds like the weaklings they were? Some already had. He'd found one such survivor. They'd had a most pleasant chat, the two of them. Quite the talker, that one. What secrets he had sung~!

Grimm would come soon, drawn in droves by the negativity. He was tempted to let them.

But first!

He wanted to see this man for...himself. To bandy words with this creature who was clearly pretending to be someone -something!- he was not. Tyrian had glimpsed the truth in the bodies he'd left behind. Some of them had been flung for miles in every direction. He'd seen them all. Pulped and smashed and shredded and torn. That was fine work, yes, fine work indeed. This one knew his craft.

He rather liked the cut of his jib.

This man was a killer. Or he would be soon.

_He simply didn't realize it yet. Oh, but he would...he WOULD...and then...what fun would be had!_

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Vernal knew the Tribe's days were numbered._

She dreaded it, feared it, and loathed it in equal measure.

Looking back, the jig had been up the moment Naruto set foot in their camp, Vernal just hadn't realized it at the time. Now she did._Now_ she felt fear and distress because the Tribe was all she'd ever known-all she'd ever been!-but with its impending demise came the opportunity for change. What kind of change she knew not, but change _was _coming, of that much she was certain.

Whether she liked it or not.

She'd thought Raven was strong. Invincible. For awhile there, she had been. Raven was the Spring Maiden after all. That kind of power...she'd always seemed untouchable because of it. No one could stand against might and magic like that. Every challenger that dared to rise against her was snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

But now Raven had been beaten._ Badly._

Not through tact, nor through cunning, but sheer strength. Ha!

A small, hysterical giggle burst past her lips. Oh, gods. She was terrified.

Because _now_ the Tribe was restless, aimless, searching for direction where none was to be had. If things were left like this -if a leader wasn't chosen!- they'd turn on one another soon. Some had already begun to do so.

She gazed longingly at Raven's tent and waited for her to emerge, to take charge and forge order out of the chaos as she always did, but she never came. A small, tiny part of Vernal still held to hope; praying that Raven would come sauntering out with a smile on her face. The rest of her knew better. She'd seen those injuries. Raven would never walk again. And even if she did, she'd never be the same. Not...after a beating like that. Many an hour had passed since Naruto dragged the boss's broken body inside and closed the flap behind him. He'd yet to return. Their brawl, short-lived though it was, had begun in the morning.

Now it was nearly _night_ and there was still no sign of either of them.

In the silence that followed, the young bandit was left with her own thoughts. They soon proved stifling.

In the end she and the survivors -those precious few who hadn't fled from the camp outright!- were left to their own devices. Some tried to salvage what remained of the camp. Some searched for loved ones they'd lost in the chaos. Others just...walked away. They knew which way the wind was blowing. Of the initial two hundred, only half remained.

Of _those,_ barely a quarter were fit to fight with their injuries. The rest were women and children.

Now their chieftain, their Spring Maiden, had been bested by some kind of...some kind of bright lord. Vernal didn't know what else to call that transformation. Many in the Tribe didn't want to believe what they'd seen. Hell, _she_ wouldn't believe it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. She'd awoken near their end of their brawl; just in time to see Naruto bat Raven about like a cat would a mouse. It was horrifying. Enthralling. Amazing. For all her might and talk of strength, Raven was no match for him. His was true strength. She _wanted_ that. Assuming she survived the next few hours.

She'd lived her life as Raven's shadow. As her second. Now, Vernal found not only her position in danger, but her very life as well.

Raven had made few friends during her time with the Tribe. And why would she? The Tribe bowed to strength and strength alone, no more, no less. Raven ruled with an iron fist and many loathed her for it. She'd made enemies. Now that she'd been bested, Vernal knew she would be next. She wasn't like Raven. She wasn't strong. She wouldn't be able to fight them off, and she dared not risk the wilderness, not alone. Her small hands balled into angry little fists at the thought. She could only think of one way to escape this disaster with her life.

Oddly enough, it wasn't an unpleasant thought for little Vernal. Yeah. She could do this.

After all, she was nothing if not a survivor. Raven had called her that time and again, hadn't she?

While it was true the Tribe was done for, that didn't mean she had to die with it. Vernal swore she would survive.

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

Raven immediately regretted opening her eyes.

At first, it came as something of a shock that she managed to open them at all. Even then her vision was dim and faded, forcing her to squint uselessly in the darkness. Where was she? How had she gotten here? A brief sliver of panic tickled her breast before she remembered what had happened; then she glimpsed the familiar tattered ceiling of her tent and realized what had transpired. Faint fire from a nearby pair of worn candles cast writhing shadows across the worn fabric and her face. She scowled at them, groaned, tried to roll over, and instantly regretted it when her ribs _shrieked_ at her.

So. She'd lost. All her training, all her might, all the power of the Spring Maiden...all of it had been for naught.

Taking a moment to gather her bearings, Raven took stock of herself and her surroundings.

Clothes? Check.

Bruises? More than she could count. Check.

Pain? _Owowowowwhydidthatbastardhitsodamnhard?!_ Check.

Someone had taken her to bed -not like that!- and wrapped her battered body in heavy blankets. Hrmph. Cocooned, more like. She felt like death warmed over and her _everything_ _hurt _in the worst of ways. Not to mention her back. For a fleeting moment she feared she might be paralyzed but no, a quick flex of her toes and fingers confirmed she still possessed full range of motion. Well. That was a relief if nothing else. She knew it could've been worse. Much worse. She could've cracked her head and gotten amnesia. Just the thought of it made her shiver. Ugh. How long had she been out?

Turning her head against the pillow, she blinked blearily.

There was someone there, sitting beside her bunk, but her sleep-gummed eyes and dazed brain couldn't quite comprehend them. She beheld blue eyes and a messy mop of blond hair. For a single, bleary moment, Raven Branwen glimpsed a familiar face and her heart skipped a beat.

"Tai...?" she croaked out his name. "What're you doing here...?"

A knife tickled the underside of her chin and Raven snapped awake. Nope. Not Tai. Definitely not Tai. Her body locked up like a rusty spring, coiled tight yet unable to move for her injuries. She could _feel _the edge pressing against her flesh. That was warning enough not to be rash. Her aura must be at an all time low for her to be able to feel the cool metal.

When she raised her gaze, she found Naruto Uzumaki glaring pale blue daggers at her.

Those bright blue eyes were cold, colder than Raven remembered, more akin to a frozen ocean rather than an endless sky. And she was on thin ice. One wrong step would send her plummeting through to a cold grave and oblibion. She should be terrified. Raven knew that, and a part of her was, but her anger burned hot and heady, overriding common sense.

"Come to gloat, have you?" she spat at him. "Here to lord your victory over me?"

He gazed back at her and said not a word.

"Well?! Say something!"

He didn't speak.

Somehow, his silence riled Raven than anything he might've said. He looked dead. Almost lifeless. That defiant spark was gone from his eyes; in its place lay the void. Raven stared into that deep blue abyss, and the abyss stared right back. Swallowed her whole. She'd seen that look before in some of her men, the ones so deadened by the act of violence that they no longer thought of it as such. She saw it in his eyes now.

It was the look of a man with nothing left to lose.

"I thought about killing you in your sleep, you know." her captor said suddenly, the words strangely soft in the silence of their tent. "Kurama suggested it." a blink. "He's still saying it. Right now. That wasn't something I wanted to do, but I still thought about it. Just thought you should know." he tilted his head, idly considering her as one might an ant beneath their boot. "You're a threat and you _clearly_ have no qualms when it comes to kidnapping people. Sparing my enemies doesn't seem to be working out for me too well thus far. What do you think?" The knife flashed into the air in an arc of blue light as it danced between his fingers. "Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody cares what _you_ think."

Who in blazes was Kurama? There was no one else here in the tent. Moreover!

"Why can't you take this seriously?!"

The laughter, when it came, surprised her.

It wasn't a mad cackle or some whiny, weeping thing. Raven knew he was much too strong for that. All that emerged was a soft, bitter chuckle. It made him sound like an old man; a weary soul with entirely too much on his mind and no way to lighten his burden. The noise seemed to echo on endlessly in the cramped confines of the tent. In truth, it lasted all of a moment. Naruto raised his gaze and she flinched at the arctic resolve there.

"Because that's what you _want."_ He declared. "And I'm not going to give it to you."

Naruto's knife flickered under Raven's chin and she dare not finish that sentence anytime soon.

Now those cold blue eyes bored into her, searching for something. Whatever it was, they didn't fine it. He shook his head and blew out at an angry breath.

"I killed some of your men, too." her captor continued, speaking slowly to her. Haltingly, almost as if he weren't truly sure of what to say or how he should say it. "I didn't mean to. They resisted. I fought back. They died. I don't feel guilty about. Should I?" _Ah._ Now Raven began to understand that distant look in his eyes. "I've killed monsters, demons and puppets, even immortals, but _people?" _a shaky sigh rattled his shoulders. "This is a first for me. They weren't good people, mind. I'd like to think the world is better off without them." those dull blue eyes glanced down, found the knife in his hand, and rose to meet hers. "Maybe I should add one more to the tally. Just to be safe."

For a moment, Raven thought he would kill her as well.

It would be an escape from all this, certainly. She wasn't sure she wanted it.

"Do it, then." she grabbed the knife at her throat and pulled it closer. "I won't beg, if that's what you're after."

His arms tensed and despite her best efforts, the Spring Maiden flinched. She didn't want to die. Not here, not now, not ever. With no Aura to protect her, and her power all but exhausted, she couldn't fight him. It was all she could do to meet his eyes and keep herself from trembling. Did she have regrets? Plenty of them. Would she voice them? Never.

In the end, Naruto leaned away. Just an inch. A fraction. Enough to convey his intent.

"No. Unlike you," he shook his head, "I'm not a monster. I don't kill for gold. Not for pleasure, either."

"And what do you know of me?" she tried lifting her chin but he just leaned in again, keeping her from escaping. "You know nothing."

_"Ohhh,_ I know more than enough." the blond bared his teeth at her in a snarl. _"Murderer._ Amber told me how all about the Maiden powers and how they pass on to other people." he clicked his teeth together with a harsh pop. "She _also _told me about a certain missing Maiden that vanished some years back. Surprise, surprise. Here you are. You slew an innocent girl to gain those abilities, didn't you? Go ahead. Deny it."

"She was too weak for this world."

His eyes flashed. "So you killed her. Just like that?"

Raven scowled at the ceiling and refused to answer him. He didn't understand and she had no desire to explain herself. That girl _had_ been weak. She'd run away, first from her responsibility, then again from her power. It sickened her. She'd refused to train. Given half a chance she would have run straight to Salem. She'd made her choice. The power of the Spring Maiden couldn't fall into the hands of that witch, and it _certainly_ couldn't go back to Ozpin. There was only one thing to be done, and she was the only one with the stones to do it.

"That's what I thought." Naruto's voice lashed at her like a whip. "You don't regret, it, do you? I can see it in your eyes. You feel no remorse. You're worse than Kaguya."

_"Who...?"_

Blue eyes pulsed into scarlet slits. "Someone who would eat you alive."

Neither spoke for a long moment after that. Raven out of fear, and Naruto in his simmering anger.

Her fingers twitched for a sword that was no longer there, longing to bat the knife away. But she couldn't. Omen had been shattered during their brawl, hilt and all. She would need a new weapon going forward. One that wouldn't fail her so spectacularly.

_Assuming she survived the next five seconds._

"Alright. Here's what you're going to do," Naruto hummed and took the kunai from her chin but kept his arm extended, the knife ready to slash forward at the slightest provocation. Even with her wounds, he knew better than to give her an escape. "You're going to create a portal to Amber, here and now. I'm going to walk through that portal. And you, will never _ever_, threaten me or mine again. Because if you do? I will END you." there was a weight to his words now, one that hadn't been there before, strangling the air itself. "I don't want to cross that line, but I _will_ if you push me. Understand? Blink once if you understand. Twice for no."

Raven blinked once, steeled herself, and opened her big mouth.

"I can't do it right now. You'll have to wait."

Naruto stiffened.

"Wait!" She cried out when the knife flashed back at her chin, "Wait, wait, wait! My portals don't work that way, you louse! And even if they did, I've burned through my Aura!"

Naruto tilted his head. "And...?"

"Just how dense are you? No Aura? No Semblance." she spat the words at him. "No Semblance? No Portals. You beat me black and blue!" and there was not so much as an iota of guilt in his eyes for that, damn him. "I need time to recover, damnit!" when he didn't relent, she turned her head aside and glowered at the floor. "I can't make a portal to your woman anyway. It would have to be someone I have a bond with. Qrow or maybe ...someone else." Bright blue eyes and an affable grin. Blond hair. His name on her lips and tangled sheets as she-NO!

Raven seized those traitorous thought of Tai by the throat and strangled them.

"I'll only make a portal to Qrow." she said." Your little bitch is probably with the birdbrain anyway."

She expected anger, for Naruto to snap at her at the very least. He didn't. Somehow, that worried her more.

"How long?" he asked.

Raven considered lying, but thought better of it. Something told her he'd notice any deception on her part. Call it a sixth sense.

"Awhile." she said. "A day at most."

It was the truth. Even with the might of a Maiden coursing through her veins, he'd chopped her reserves down to nearly nothing. That took strength. Strength she _hadn't_ been prepared for. For all her power, he'd snuffed her out like a candle. If she'd known he was _that _strong, she never would've gone near him. She'd been stupid. Arrogant. If this boy decided to cross the line -if he took it into his head to kill her- she wouldn't be able to stop him. Not when she was this weak. Coward that she was, the thought terrified her.

Naruto frowned. "Fine. One day. No more."

It was evening already, so Raven half-suspected the fool would leave her be and try to sleep. He glowered at her instead.

She tried to rise, but her body betrayed her and buckled back to the bed.

"Don't try to sit up." he warned as she collapsed against the mattress. "You're badly hurt. Didn't know this mark of mine could heal injuries like that." he gazed at his inked palm for a long moment. "Apparently it can. Still, your body's going to be a bit of a mess for awhile." a pause followed as he considered whether or not to keep going. He went with it. "I didn't heal you all the way. Didn't trust you not to try something."

Raven sneered at him. "Now who's the monster?"

"Still you." blue eyes narrowed on her. "You'll recover. Speaking of which, I want you to reign in your tribe. That, or disband them."

Just like that, a leaden weight settled in Raven's gut. Reign them in, he said. Shit. She'd hadn't even stopped to think of the Tribe until this very moment. Everyone had seen that brawl. Worse, they'd seen her lose to the young man before her. All at once that weight turned to a lump of ice in her stomach, chilling her to the bone. In the Tribe, the strongest ruled. Those who could not hold their position forfeited it. Likewise, a chieftain who lost a fight in such a manner could not rule. They'd never follow her now. Not after that display. Some would have left already, bringing word of what they'd seen with them.

No amount of butchery or browbeating on her part would change their minds now. She'd be cast out.

Without them she would be alone, with no one to blame but herself. Her fault. All her fault.

"I can't." An angry breath hitched in her throat. "They won't listen to me."

"Because you lost." Realization dawned in his eyes. _"To me."_

"Figured that out yourself, did you?" Raven cast a baleful glare at him, baring her teeth when he didn't back down in the least. "Strength is all that matters in the Tribe."

"Which means those meatheads are going to harass me after this."

Why did he look so annoyed by that? Leadership of the Tribe was an honor, one many fought and died for. Did he think this was her intentional on her part? No! She refused to take the blame for this disaster. Never! This was all the brat's fault. Not hers! He'd ruined everything. Ruined her, ruined the tribe, ruined all her plans to stay out of this gods-forsaken shadow war. Ruined, ruined, ruined! Any hope she had of hiding was long gone now. Everyone knew who she was, and the _where_ would soon follow after that little display.

_Salem would find her._

Salem would come for her. Salem would corner her. Salem would beat her down, rip the power of the Spring Maiden from her broken body, and leave her corpse for the wolves. It was only a matter of time. Joining her was an option; one Raven refused to consider. She knew full well what the Queen of the Grimm did with her pawns once they'd exhausted their usefulness. Everything was expendable to that woman. They needed her to open a door. Nothing more. She would be cast aside the moment she fulfilled that purpose.

That left Ozpin.

Ozpin, the liar. Ozpin the deceiver. Ozpin, who knew she was the Spring Maiden, thanks to Amber. He'd never let her out of his sight if she returned. Not now. Not ever. She refused to go back to that life again. Not if she could help it. That chapter in her life was over. Qrow was a drunkard, Summer was...gone, and Tai...no! Bad thoughts! Treacherous thoughts! Focus!

With no allies, death awaited her. Be it soon, or in the future, they would come for her. That much was a certainty.

Hers would be a life lived in constant fear. Ever looking over her shoulder. Waiting for the knife in her back. Alone, she had a big red target painted on her back. Sure, she could cut a portal away if it came to a fight, but her portals led to problems of her owns. Portals required a bond. That meant Yang. Qrow. Tai. Ozpin. Each brought problems of their own.

She was weak. Powerless. She felt like a child all over again.

In her desperation, she went with a third option.

Raven didn't like Naruto. Not at all. Not in the least. She respected his strength, but she _loathed _how easily he'd upended her life without a care in the world. Worse, he hadn't been trying and she'd accidentally instigated their conflict through her own foolishness. Not that she'd ever admit it.

As far as she was concerned, he'd proven himself to be a right pain in the arse. But he could fight. Better than Qrow. Better than a Maiden. If Salem sent her agents after him he would fight. He might even win. She gained nothing of making an enemy out of him -she had enough of those already!- and in this moment? She'd nothing left to lose.

Raven latched onto _him._

"You really can't trust Ozpin." She turned her gaze back on the blond, pointedly ignoring the knife in his hand. "He'll use you and throw you away."

"And here we go again. He's not done anything to me yet." Naruto crossed both arms before his chest and planted his feet in stubborn defiance. "Between the two of you, I think I'll take my chances with him."

"Are you sure about that?" she granted him a saccharine smile. "Did you know he's immortal?" when those pale blue eyes began to narrow Raven barreled onward before he could try to dismiss her again. "He can't die. On the odd chance that his current host somehow "expires", he'll simply take on another. Can you truly trust someone like that?"

Naruto stiffened as he watched her lean back against her pillow. "What is it, reincarnation or something?"

"No." Raven's counter proved quick as she baited her hook and reeled him in. "Ozpin is a parasite. His soul latches onto the mind of a like-minded host and consumes them. Sometimes it takes weeks, months, even years, but the result is always the same. In the end, only he remains."

_She would know!_ She'd learned that truth the hard way.

"You're not lying. I can sense that much." Still, she wasn't prepared for the black look that flashed across his face. "What you just described...reminds me of Orochimaru. A little too much."

There he went, dropping another name like it meant something. Like it should mean something. Perhaps it did. Raven shrugged. To her, it was just a name. A face she'd never met. Little more. If it left him better inclined to believe her, then she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I've dealt with immortals before in my world." he said. "If he turns on me and Amber, I'll sort it myself."

"That may well be." Raven scoffed and refused to falter in the face of his scorn. "But then what about Salem? She _can't_ be destroyed."

Blue eyes fluttered shut and open in a rapid blink. "Who in the blue hell is _Salem?"_

He didn't know. She could see the confusion in his eyes, burning bright without so much as a hint of duplicity. What was Ozpin thinking? If this boy was a pawn -and she assumed he was- he was sorely uninformed. Even assuming he hadn't been told of Salem, there were too many things he didn't know. It almost felt like a trap. But she knew it wasn't. Ozpin couldn't have anticipated this unfortunate series of events. It just wasn't possible. That implied uncomfortable levels of foresight, something she'd rather not dwell on. In the end, she settled for the truth.

The truth was often more painful than any lie. And if it swayed him to her side...well. All the better.

"The creatures of Grimm have a master named Salem." She spoke slowly, choosing her words with infinite care as the blond before her turned and sat, folding both legs beneath him. Raven wasn't fooled. She'd seen how agile he was. He could move in an instant. "She can't be stopped. She can't be reasoned with, and she will NOT rest until humanity crumbles at her feet."

"Why should I believe any of this?" naturally, he didn't accept her claim right out of the gate. "You may believe it, but that doesn't necessarily make it true."

"Now you're catching on." she crossed her legs beneath the blankets. "I've been watching you. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you. You've just gone with the flow. Go ahead. Tell me I'm wrong." he didn't, and she fought down a smirk.. "That's going to get you killed. You need to question everything."

_"Including you?"_

"Tch. Cheeky brat." she turned her head aside and reached for a pitcher of water. "Open your eyes. Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow and your naive Maiden." he frowned, and she took the opportunity to twist the knife a little deeper. "Who's to say she won't turn on you, too?"

Naruto twitched.

"Aw, did I touch a nerve?"

His body blazed gold. That was her only warning.

Raven yelped in surprise as a glowing hand clamped down around her throat, blood turning to ice in her veins when her back crashed against her bed. A knee slammed into her torso when she tried to rise, pinning her and driving the breath from her lungs in a moment. She doubled over the limb and retched in surprise, gasping for air that refused to come. She hadn't seen Naruto move. Her eyes were on him the entire time, and _she hadn't seen him move. _Terror bloomed beneath her breast anew and her heart hammered like the drums of a great hunt out for blood-no, her blood.

Three words hissed between them.

"Take. It. Back."

Slitted scarlet pupils bearing the emblem of a cross blazed into her ruby red orbs. It was the first time she'd seen his transformation up close outside of battle; it only further served to heighten her fear. His body didn't so much glow as it did _burn_ with black and yellow light. It hurt just to look at. But those hands...they were worse. Much worse.

"You don't get to insult Amber." Naruto hissed out the words in an angry breath. "As far as I'm concerned, she's worth twenty of you. She's suffered enough! Leave her out of this!"

Raven gurgled wordlessly and nodded. Still, he didn't release her throat. She slapped his wrists, to no avail.

"And you! You're _wretched!"_ he snapped in her face. "Just listen to yourself! You're full of poison and hate! Cowardice and envy! Stop trying to turn me against my friends!"

Oh, gods. Was he going to kill her? He was, wasn't he? She saw his eyes. Saw the anger, the rage, but also the fear. Fear for his partner's life. That fear drove him to do terrible things.

"I...know more than you realize!" Raven croaked out as he continued to squeeze her neck. "Not just about you, and not just...what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes!" Her vision began to blacken at the edges as his fingers dug in. "I know the Grimm have a leader! I know people who can come back from the dead!" she yelled at him. "I know that magic...is real! And I can prove it!" it was all she could do to force the words out now, such was the pain. "Without me...you'll be wandering in the wilds for weeks...months...!"

Naruto released her and she toppled back, gasping harshly. Still, he didn't withdraw.

"We're never going to get along, are we?" his words struck her like a slap in the face. "I didn't think it was actually possible for _me_ to hate someone this much. Congratulations. Now. Talk."

"I could explain it to you." she rasped, massaging her sore throat with an bruised hand. "But what's to stop you from attacking me again?"

"It was a slip." came the reply as he settled down beside her. "Won't happen again."

"Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all of your questions and more. You're strong. I can respect that." she offered him her hand, fingers splayed. "With your power and mine we could make putty of just about anyone who challenged us. You could even bring that girl of yours here, if you like. Amber would do well in the Tribe. Think of it." when he didn't take it she raised her arms instead as though to paint a picture for him. "With the three of us working together, Ozpin wouldn't dare move against us." his eyes flashed dangerously at the offer, but as promised, he didn't rise to the bait. "Well? What say you?"

Naruto set his jaw. "Not. Interested."

Liar. Raven knew how to read people. She knew she'd caught his attention. Those raised in the Tribe knew when to push and when to wait. Now was the time to push.

"Why limit yourself?" she challenged him. "With that Semblance of yours, you're a lion among sheep. Act like one."

His bitter chuckle surprised her. "You really have no idea where I'm from, do you?"

"I don't." Raven confessed readily. "Does it matter?"

"..."

"You _could_ go back to Ozpin's impossible little war." she dared a smile when he looked away. "You think you're strong. Maybe you are." And maybe he was. But Raven Branwen refused to deal in maybes. "Strength means nothing to someone like Salem. Face her, and you'll meet the same fate as all those who came before you."

"That's not how I live." now it was her turn to scowl at him. "Like I said, I've dealt with immortals in my world. If you can't kill something? Trap it. Seal it. Or talk them down."

Naive boy! As if the Queen of the Grimm wanted a booty call! Remnant would be a far safer place if that were the case!

"Salem. Is. A. Bloody. **_Monster."_ **Raven empathized the last word with all the force she could. "Ozpin may be forced to take a new host every time his expires, but she's a beast apart from him." when he didn't retort the bandit queen dared to stab a finger at him. "I just told you that your so-called strength means nothing to her. Bash her skull in her all you like." another jab at the air between them followed, drawing a frown from her tormentor. "She can't be destroyed. Even if you manage it, she'll just come back to life in the next instant. She's invincible. No one can stop her. Not you, not me, and _certainly_ not Ozpin."

A flash of pity burned through Naruto's gaze as he released his transformation. "It must be hard, not trusting anyone."

_'And what would you know of trust?!'_ Her mind hissed! _'You believe others far too easily!'_

"Trust isn't so easily earned." Outwardly, she tossed her hair and scowled.

"No, you've just abandoned everyone." he squinted at her suddenly and a fresh flash of recognition dawned in his eyes. "Say, earlier...you called me Tai. Who was that?"

Raven willed her thoughts into an iron vice and refused to dwell on happier times. No. That chapter of her life was over, the book was closed, its pages burned. Perhaps some small part of her regretted her decisions, but what of it? Going back now would only open old wounds. Yang was strong. Tai didn't need her. Not anymore. Perhaps Summer would've wanted that, but Summer wasn't here anymore. Any attempt to return on her part would have Ozpin on her doorstep within the hour. And who was to say Tai even wanted her back? He'd probably laugh at her, the cheeky little shit.

"He's a blond bastard." she grumbled when Naruto's stare didn't abate. "Just like you. There, happy?" she huffed. "What does it matter? You'll never meet him."

She'd said it to shut the brat up, but instead, those azure orbs widened yet further. Almost as if he remembered something.

"I...think I might have." his words sent a cold wind through her soul. ""Do you have a daughter?"

Oh, no. No, no, no. She didn't like where this was going. He wasn't even threatening her; it was, by all accounts, an innocent inquiry. A hole still opened in Raven's stomach.

"I don't see how that's any of your concern." she sniffed, "Why do you ask?"

"I saw someone who kinda looked like you." He muttered.

Raven sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"Coincidence."

"No, I don't think it was." Naruto shook his head and placed a fist in an open palm, wholly ignorant of her dread. "Back in Vale,I saw someone. She was just a kid, but now that I think back on it, she looked like you. She had your face. And blond hair. Violet eyes, too. The kind you get when you mix red with.._.blue."_ She saw the moment the gears clicked together in his head, but it vanished as he rounded on her. She expected anger when he realized the truth. Scorn at the very least.

Instead, he just looked...dissapointed in her.

"That really _was_ your kid, wasn't she?" the silence that followed proved damning enough, and the flickering candle cast ghastly shadows over his whiskered face. "Did you abandon her, too?" When she refused to answer a spark disgust burned in his eyes. "You really are a coward, aren't you? I don't know why I'm surprised."

Shaking his head, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" she snapped at him. "Where are you going?!"

"To find a bed." a lone blue peered at her over his shoulder. "You have nothing I want and I don't feel like dealing with you anymore tonight."

_Unacceptable!_

If she let Naruto walk away now he was as good as lost to her. He'd leave come morning, the Tribe would turn on her, and she'd be cast out. She could beat them black and blue in his absence and they still wouldn't follow her. That didn't much bother Raven so much as one might think, but the idea of being alone, of having a target on her back? Very much so. There was one final gamble left to her. Time to play it.

"I can give you the Relic!" the words burst out of her before he could flee, before she could think to hold them back. "Don't you want that?!"

"Relic?" Naruto paused. "Why should I care about some dusty old artifact?"

Aha! Now the momentum had shifted back in her favor. Raven seized it with a singular fervor and reeled him with her words.

"Ozpin didn't tell you about them either?" she crooned, tilting her head so her dark hair fell across her right eye. "My, my. He really doesn't trust you, does he?"

"Raven." the air in the tent grew viciously oppressive, as her would-be ally frowned at her. "Stop playing games and get to the bloody point already. I'm not in the mood for this."

"He made the Maidens." she hastened to explain. "They serve a purpose. We're keys. That's the reason Salem hunts us."

That got his attention; of course it did. Anything related to his precious little Amber had him perking up like a puppy, even if he tried to hide it. A small part of her admired the loyalty. Even if all this nonsense about being from another world was true, he'd proven himself remarkably dedicated to the Fall Maiden. Honestly, it made her a little jealous. Anyone who could fight like that? Well, they may not be able to defeat Salem -in her mind!- but they'd give her agents hell. That kind of power wasn't meant for mortals. With that manner of might she couldn't imagine Naruto being outmaneuvered by anything save the blackest treachery, or Salem herself.

"Keys to what?" he asked.

At the end of the day, Raven was a spiteful woman. If she was going down, then damnit, she was going to go down _swinging._ Holding the power of the Spring Maiden was a danger, but only so long as the vault remained sealed. If she were were to open it, if someone were to take the relic within and depart...well. Salem would have bigger problems, wouldn't she? And if said someone took the Relic elsewhere, Salem wouldn't bother with her or her powers. Hopefully. Maybe.

It was reckless, but it was the only one choice left to her now.

_"Vaults."_ So she leaned forward, and told all a savage smile overtaking her already pale face as her guest turned away from the exit one last time. "There's for each kingdom. Each contains a Relic, an item of great power from a bygone age. Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice. Mistral hides the Relic of Knowledge in Haven academy." she watched him perk up and knew she had him. "Only the Spring Maiden can open the door to this vault and with it, a being capable of answering any question you might ask."

Well, two questions now, and perhaps a bit of an embellishment on her part, but still!

She'd taken one for herself, years ago, with Lionheart none the wiser. That was how she knew the truth of Salem. It was knowledge she and sought, and _knowledge_ which had broken her so long ago. What she wouldn't give to take that question back. To ask something else. Jinn was a cruel creature. She'd said knowledge was power. Ha! Ignorance was bliss, then. Raven would rather be a naive fool than the wisest woman in the world.

"You want to go back to your world, brat?" here it was, the final card left in an already bad hand. "To your _real_ home? I can give you that. The Relic will show you the way."

Naruto hesitated, dithering just short of the exit.

"I'll open the vault." Raven forced herself to sit up, willed her gaze to rise-meet those cold blue eyes-and not flinch. "You just have to take the Relic. Use it, and ask your two questions. Do what you wish with it afterwards, so long as you take it out of the vault. Throw it in the ocean afterward for all I care. You do that, and you'll never hear from me again."

Those keen blue eyes narrowed on her. "You''ll leave Amber alone?"

"I swear it." she hummed.

His resolve wavered and Raven almost hissed in triumph. Victory! She had him. She just knew it. If he wouldn't take his place within the tribe, then she could at least offload that damn Lamp onto him. It would be his problem after that. Not hers. Not that she cared. No man would refuse such an offer; not when it was gifted to them on a silver platter. Everyone had questions. Everyone wanted answers. Humans were, by they very nature, curious creatures. Only a fool would refuse.

Something hardened in his gaze. "We'll talk about this later."

"What?" Her head whipped around, eyes wide. "No! You can't go! Don't leave me like this!"

She was exhausted and all of the tribe had seen her weakness. What if someone took it into their heads to challenge her now or worse, strike while she slept? She'd not survive the night. For all her skill and strength, she could barely move right now. Her Aura was exhausted, down to the very dregs and she didn't have a weapon. Naruto had made sure of that. There was nothing within her reach save that old water pitcher and a cup. She couldn't defend herself with those, much less cut a portal! She needed a weapon! A sword! A dagger, at the very least.

"Why not?" he regarded her curiously. "What are you so afraid of?"

_Everything! _She wanted to howl the word at him, but she dare not say it for fear of breaking.

Raven was afraid of Tai and her own traitorous heart. She was afraid of being alone. She was afraid of _dying in a ditch,_ full of regrets. And she had so many regrets now. She couldn't even count them all. Here at last they came bubbling up, heedless out her attempts to stomp them back into oblivion.

"If you leave me alone tonight, the Tribe will kill me." she hissed. "You're as good as killing me yourself."

Rather than reply audibly, Naruto waved his hand and crossed his fingers. A plume of smoke answered him, causing Raven to jump as a pair of shadow clones appeared out of the ether. She balked at them, eyes widening in confusion. Well, that was ominous, wasn't it? She hadn't known he could do that. Just how much had he held back during their battle?

"These two will keep anyone from trying anything tonight. They'll also keep an eye on you." Naruto's words jerked her back to reality. "Don't try to run or they'll hunt you down."

_"That's even worse!"_

"Is it? I don't owe you anything more." the blond leaned back, shaking his head. "And I certainly don't trust you not to run off the moment I turn my back." he snapped his fingers and the doppelgangers took up a flanking position on either side of her with nary a sound. "I don't trust you. You left your daughter and husband alone, forsook your brother, your own blood, and for what?" his lips pursed in a thinly veiled scowl. "Fear? Something else? Is Salem really that terrifying" he made a face. "I won't pretend to understand why you're so afraid of her." he shrugged. "Hope it was worth losing everyone."

How dare he.

Something snapped in the back of Raven's mind as the last thread of restraint giving way deep inside her.

How. Dare. He.

"Who are you to judge me?! She tried to surge upright but her legs betrayed her and buckled. She collapsed against the pillows and slapped with a wordless snarl. "You have no right!"

"I have every right!" Naruto was there to meet her, to catch her, but not tine the way she expected. His forehead slammed down against hers when she tried to rise again, scarlet slits narrow and angry as they lanced into her own. "Because I've been where you are right now! I fought a monster! A freaking goddess. I was afraid! I was terrified!_ But I never ran away!"_

"Then you're even _more_ of a fool than I thought-

SLAP.

His hand cracked across her face like a whip and snapped her head to the side, leaving a stinging red handprint in its wake.

"Yeah, that's right! I'm a fool!" Naruto bellowed right back at her as she touched a hand to her cheek and gawked at him. "A fool who never quits! A fool who never gives up! The biggest damn fool there is!" When Raven tore her gaze away in a huff, he stormed to the other side of the bed to catch her out. "When the chips were down, I persevered! I kept going, damnit! I may have wavered at times, but I never gave in! And you! Look at you! The mighty Raven Branwen, squatting in the woods! Some hero you turned out to be!" he turned his head and spat at her feet. "I'll never be like you! Coward!"

In a stiff, jerky movement Naruto climbed off the bed -off her!- and stormed away in a huff. A passing insult sailed over his shoulder.

"If you had half a heart, you'd take responsibility for your actions!" he said. "But you won't, will you? You're too afraid!"

With a rustle of cloth Naruto pulled the tent flap back and departed. And just like that, she was alone.

Coward. The word damned her. Condemned her. Cut her deeper than anyone could.

When the tears finally came, Raven found she couldn't fight them.

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Vernal was waiting for him when he left Raven's tent.

Little more than a faint silhouette against the setting sun, she stood with her boots braced in the dirt and both arms folded across her chest. Poor girl looked a shadow of her former self; she'd been short enough to begin with, but now she looked downright tiny. Skittish, too. Ready to bolt at the slightest provocations. Just looking at her made Naruto wince. She was clearly terrified of him. And yet there was something else burning there in her gaze, something he was almost alarmed to recognize as envy.

_'Damnit, now I feel bad for scaring her like that..._

But with her, stood others. Dozens of them. More than he cared to count.

Naruto eyed the lot of them like the vipers they were. Why were they here? Was this some misguided attempt at revenge? There were a ragged bunch; women and children among them, old men, grizzled warriors, even wizened crones who squinted at him with beady eyes. Some were armed. Some weren't. Those who had weapons clutched them in tight, white-knuckled hands as he stalked forward.

"Can we not do this right now?" he raised his voice in a warning. "I just wanna curl up, go to bed, and pretend this day never happened."

**"Better the devils you know than the ones you don't...**

Vernal's dirty blue eyes flicked him up and down as he came to a halt before the Tribe. Naruto noted the dark bags beneath her eyes. She seemed...weary. Gone was the arrogance and pride that he'd witnessed upon their first meeting. Small wonder there. He'd spooked it right out of her. Now this slip of a girl regarded him with wary deference.

"So, you did it." she said by way of greeting. "You beat Raven."

Naruto grunted. "Slapped her, too."

Vernal's jaw popped open before she managed to master herself.

_Then she lunged at him._

The wayward shinobi tensed, bracing for an attack that never came.

Because Vernal didn't attack. There was no knife in her hand, no gun in her palms as she lurched forward.

_She knelt._

Every man, woman, and child behind her did the same. Some hesitated longer than others, some shot him nasty looks, but of the roughly hundred or so folk before him, everyone eventually capitulated. One after another they bent the knee. It was akin to watching a wave flowing in reverse; Vernal was the source, and

"The Queen is dead." Vernal declared, planting one fist in the dirt as she bowed her head. "Long live the King."

Naruto's jaw clicked open. "Eh?"

_Raven wasn't dead._

Battered and bruised perhaps, with a wounded ego besides, but he'd left her very much alive. Very much alive! His clones wouldn't let any harm come to her...until she recovered. Once she regained her Aura, she wouldn't be his problem anymore. He didn't want anything to do with that awful woman. What kind of parent just abandoned their child? At least Minato and Kushina had an excuse. They'd done it to protect him. Raven didn't even leave her kid that luxury. She'd just...left. For someone reason, that alone burned him more than anything she'd done.

Unfortunately, she'd left him with a bunch of bandits kneeling at his feet, waiting for a response.

"The hell is this?" he'd expected something but...not this. Anything but this.

"You beat the boss." Vernal raised her gaze to meet his. "That makes you the strongest. And the strongest warrior rules the Tribe. That's how its always been. What are your orders?"

**"This...might be a problem."** Kurama hissed in his ear.** "If they think you're the leader, you can deal with them as you please, but if you just disband them here and now...what do you think will happen to the countryside? These people know only one way of life."**

Naruto winced.

He could see it now; while Mistral had its own huntsmen and they wouldn't exactly be _overrun_ by banditry, this wasn't something it needed. He'd underestimated his strength and killed people here. That was something he would have to live wit, but the last thing he wanted to do was turn this motley crew loose on the world. That meant he had to reign them in. But how? And to what end? He couldn't let them carry on as they had, he simply couldn't. His very soul revolted against the notion.

**"Then lets use them."** his partner suggested. **"They're waiting for orders. Hope you're a good actor. Try your best Madara impression. They might fall for that."**

An idea ignited in the back of Naruto's head. Use them, he'd said. Well. He could think of one way to do that. As to the acting...

"Alright, you lot!" it was almost painful to see the lot of them wince when he cleared his throat, but the blond steeled his heart against it and barreled onward. "There's gonna be some changes around here! No more raids, you hear me? No hurting the helpless, either! Its high time you set your sights on worthier prey!"

**"That was horrible. You're horrible."**

A restless murmur passed through the Tribe. "We're fighting huntsmen?"

Naruto wasn't sure who asked the question, but he silenced them all the same.

"NO!" he slammed his arms together in an X-shape before his chest. "None of that! Do ya wanna die or somethin'?!" He might not _like _these people, but he didn't want to fling them at Haven. Nor could he turn all of them over to the authorities, tempting though it was. He'd already killed the worst offenders during his assault, and those that remained were little more than camp followers. None of them were innocent to be sure, but he'd be separating families if he tried to push the matter.

Kurama hummed.

**"See, you _can_ do it if you try."**

The old fox had a point, ghastly though it was. No, he couldn't give these folk to Haven with a clean conscience. Parents would be be imprisoned, children would be thrown out on their ears, and the elderly would be left to die in the wilds. He'd like to avoid such a senseless slaughter. Surely these bandits could change their ways. Right? He wanted to believe that. He really, truly did.

"Who do we fight, then?" someone snorted. "Grimm? The White Fang?"

Yeah, he had no idea who or _what_ that was. Still, he perked up. "Are they bad guys?"

His gaze fell to Vernal. She winced, but realized he was waiting for an answer and shrugged. "Yes...?"

"Great!" Naruto snapped his fingers at her with a grin. "You heard the little lady. There's my first order. Any objections?"

"I've got one." An absolute mountain of a man clad with greying hair and _silver_ eyes drew himself upright, his brow set in a frown. "You ruined our camp, lad. The Grimm will come for us. What will you do about this?"

**"That is one _biiiiig_ sonuvabitch...**

Naruto winced for a different reason as a fresh spark of guilt stabbed at his chest. With a put upon sigh, he scratched the back of his head. Bandits or no, he'd torn up their home. Now that the adrenaline had worn off and they were no longer trying to actively detain him, it was hard not to feel a little guilty about his actions. He'd overreacted. Badly. Did he regret fighting back? Not a bit. Raven had kidnapped him and he'd fought in self defense. But that needn't make him a monster. He'd never be like her.

"Sorry about that." He frowned. "I didn't get your name...?"

"Gregor." the man granted him a grunt.

"What do you do here, Gregor?"

"I hunt."

Credit where it was due, the man didn't flinch. Perhaps it had something to do with the massive sword on his back. Yeesh. You could split a tree with that thing. He didn't remember fighting this behemoth. He would have recalled meeting someone like this. Perhaps he'd been away from camp during the brawl? The salt and pepper hair proved warning enough given his profession; but it was the chill in those stern silver orbs that concerned him. It was like looking up at a mountain; it would not be moved, and neither would this man without good measure.

"So you're a hunstman?" he inquired.

"No." the old warrior shook his head and planted his feet together. "I _hunt."_

Naruto nearly whistled. As in hunting game? Animals? With a sword like that?! How?! Did he use it as a javelin or something?! Stranger still, he didn't sense any ill-intent from the warrior before him. There was no anger in his gaze, no spite in his scowl, nor malice in his stance. He simply was. Almost made him wonder how someone like this wound up here.

"Gregor's one of our best hunters." Vernal chimed at Naruto's elbow, thereby drawing his attention. "He's in charge of keeping the Tribe fed. Makes a mean beef stew, too."

"I also guard our walls." the older man declared, planting his feet. "You tore them down. We lack the time and people needed to repair them before sunset." His dark brow furrowed. "More will die."

"I won't be staying long." Naruto protested.

Gregor growled. "Then you forsake your duties as Chieftain."

"Hey! I didn't ask Raven to kidnap me." he bit back. "She started this mess in the first place!"

"Nevertheless, she is beaten and _you_ stand before us. The Tribe is yours to command...unless you intend to forsake it."

An angry murmur passed through the Tribe; they hadn't chosen the most eloquent man to voice their discontent, but he made it clear well enough. Naruto took a deep breath, exhaled, and let their anger roll off his shoulders like so much water off a duck's back. Time? He knew he couldn't do anything about that, but people? A slow, impish smile spread across his face. Fine. If they wanted to play hard ball, he'd make them eat their words. And their boots besides!

**"We could just trample the lot of them."** Kurama suggested. **"I could do it for you, if you're feeling squeamish."**

_"No." _he bridled at the thought._ "Self defense is one thing, but I'm not about to murder these people in cold blood."_

**"Then you need to deal with them, now."**

Steeling himself, Naruto blew out a breath and slapped a hand to his forehead. He couldn't be himself here; they'd never listen to him otherwise. Worse, they might take it into their heads and break apart the moment he left. He needed a way to keep them in line in his absence, a sure fire method that no one would dare challenge. Raven had all but said that the Tribe valued strength above all else. They wanted strength? He'd give them strength, even if it was only a ruse. Channeling his best impression of a certain Uchiha, he raised his voice to be heard by all.

"I'm not forsaking anything." he snapped. "You just need a few bodies to repair the walls, right?"

"Aye." Gregor paused, considered, and nodded. "A few healthy lads would work. A raid or two would replenish our numbers."

"No raids. But if you _had_ enough supplies and helpers on hand," Naruto hastened on with a far-too-pleasant smile, "You could build new barriers quickly, right?"

"I suppose...?"

Vernal looked left. Vernal looked right. Vernal failed to understand what was happening. Nor did Gregor. That was fine. He needed their surprise to sell the act. Sasuke would be rolling in his grave if he saw him acting like this. _Like him._ Good. That reminder steadied Naruto's thoughts and marshaled them.

"And a new gate?" he challenged.

"Given enough time and resources, certainly."

Vernal fixed Naruto with a perplexed look, but he ignored her. "Done."

"Are you blind, boy?" Gregor touched a hand to the hilt of his sword. "We don't have enough-

With a quick flick of the wrist followed by a pulse of chakra, Naruto crossed his fingers and fell back on his favorite technique.

Even after his bout with Raven, his reserves were full to bursting. The jutsu didn't fail him. A series of startled yelps rose in his ears as smoke swelled up around him; anyone who thought to challenge him in that moment went silent as the grave. Witnessing the birth of shadow clone army did that to you. That wary acceptance he'd received before? It was outright awe now. When Naruto turned back to face the old bandit, he found Gregor's eyes had widened. Almost imperceptibly, but for one trained as a shinobi, it was impossible to miss.

Naruto tilted his head, and each clone mirrored the motion in perfect symmetry. "There. Any questions?"

"No." Gregor shook his head slowly as he gazed upon the horde. "That's quite the Semblance."

"You're kidding me." Vernal nearly fainted on her feet. "B-Bullshit! I call bullshit!"

_"Language."_

Naruto flicked the back of the girl's head, but he didn't correct her either.

"You wanted help." he spread his arms, knowing all eyes were on him. Good. He could play the part a little longer. "Use them as you see fit, but harm a hair on anyone's head and there'll be hell to pay."

"Hrmph." a spindly man with a weaselly face prodded a clone's cheek. "They solid? Could be illusions for all we know_-YEARGH!?"_

In response, said clone reared back and bit the intruding finger with vicious force. The bandit recoiled with a yelp, clutching the now-bloody digit to his chest. Another ripple ran through the Tribe; this time it was confusion rather than anger that stirred them. Was it wrong that he took a bit of vindictive pleasure in that? Just a little? Behind him, Naruto swore he heard Vernal curse and topple backwards. Naughty girl. Someone ought to wash her mouth out with a bar of soap.

"Does that answer your question?" Gregor snorted. "They're real, fool."

Then he turned to face Naruto.

"You'll be needing a second-in-command if you want to keep this lot in line." he offered him a burly forearm as he spoke. "Especially if you intend to travel to and from the Tribe. I'd like to throw my hat in that arena."

Naruto flicked a glance to Vernal as she climbed to her feet. The girl started under his attention, then preened when she realized he wasn't just waiting for any opinion, but _her_ input. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about the bright look shining high and bright in her eyes in that moment. Still, she capitulated to him readily enough.

"He's better than most." the little bandit muttered, kicking a booted foot against the dirt. "Gregor's called the Mountain for a reason. You'll not find a stronger sword; not with Raven down for the count."

"Aye." Gregor unbent enough to nod. "She's telling the truth. There's a reason I've lived this long." His gaze strayed past him, to the lone remaining tent. "What do you intend to do with her?"

"Vernal?" he blinked, not quite comprehending.

_"Raven."_

A bark of laughter burst out of him. "I'll decide come morning."

Seeing no other option, he reached out, clasped the giant's hand in his own and shook.

Those keen _silver_ eyes narrowed in what might have been triumph in the faint torchlight. "As you say, Warchief."

Naruto frowned. "Warchief?"

"You're sending us to battle against the White Fang _and_ the Grimm." Gregor rumbled. "That implies a war. It'll keep our blades sharp, at the very least."

**"Warchief. Heh. I like it!"**

Kurama could be such a child sometimes.

...fair enough."

A wave and a command split the sea of clones in twine; half went with Gregor to repair the ruined palisade and chop down trees for the gate, while the rest dispersed among the remaining bandits to forage for supplies or attend to other mundane tasks. Naruto kept an eye on the Tribe until he was certain they'd let him be; until the very last soul had shuffled off with at least one of his doppelgangers to make repairs. Then and only then did he dare look away.

**"Well, that's done."** Kurama congratulated him. "**Not a bad job. I think the big one likes you."**

"Oh, buzz off...

Vernal tugged at his sleeve and he risked a glance at her.

Only then did he notice the pack on her back. Less so the words that came after. "When do we leave?"

At first Naruto's mind didn't quite comprehend what she'd said. "We?"

Of all the responses, he'd not expected that.

"You're strong." As he looked on, little Vernal adjusted the straps on her pack and tried not to falter beneath his gaze. "You beat Raven like it was nothing. I...um, well. I didn't think you could do it. But you did." her nose wrinkled as she struggled with the words. "That's true strength. I want that. I need that. I don't want to be weak again. Please!" She all but threw herself at his feet. "Teach me!"

**"Aw,"** Kurama crooned, **"You have a student."**

"Bite me, furball!"

She looked so pitiful that he almost went along with it solely out of habit. Then reality snapped back and he realized what she was asking.

"I'm going with you." she jutted her chin out at him defiantly. "You can't stop me."

"Yeah, no." His good cheer vanished. "Not happening. There is no we." he flicked his fingers back and forth between the two of them. "I'm leaving the moment Raven can make a portal. You're staying here."

She scrambled after him.

"That's not fair!"

Ohhh, she wanted to talk about fair now, did she?! An irritated growl fled from his lips and she flinched. Naruto immediately realized what he'd done and and drew back.

"Sorry about that." he palmed his face. "I didn't mean to scare you." he shook his head and grimaced as he felt another migraine coming on. "Now isn't a good time for this. I've had a long day."

"Then when?!" Vernal bulled into his side and butted her head against his arm. "You said it yourself, you're leaving tomorrow!"

_"Later."_ Naruto grumbled, only to pause as an ugly thought occurred to him. Raven had mentioned a Vault...

"What do you know about Relics?" he asked.

"You mean the Lamp?"

Vernal perked up, no doubt eager to make herself useful. Perhaps she was looking to redeem herself in his eyes. He wasn't sure. It hurt to see all the same. This girl had lived most of her life following the strong, obeying people like Raven. Now she'd latched onto him. Hard.

"Raven would talk about it sometimes when she drank." the little bandit grimaced as his gaze fixed on her. "When she drank a lot. Supposedly it can grant you knowledge or somesuch. She said I had to know that sort of thing if we were going to pass me off as the Spring Maiden."

Naruto winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about that."

"S'okay." she waved a hand. "I didn't mind."

"You should!" He caught it and wrenched her arm down. "There are people after that power. They'll kill for it. They _have _killed." a grimace stole over his whiskered face as he recalled what Raven had done. "You would've died."

"But now I won't." Vernal crossed her arms and replied with the unfaltering surety only a child could possess. "Her secret's out. And you're here. You won't let me die."

_Urk._

_'No, no, no!'_ his mind cried!_ 'Don't falter! She's an enemy!'_

**"Some of your best friends were bitter rivals at one point...**

"You're taking me with you when you go, right?" Before he could respond to _that _unpleasant truth, Vernal latched onto his sleeve again. "I helped you. You owe me." when he didn't reply, she huffed and stomped on his foot. "You said it yourself. I'll die if you don't."

Her words stopped Naruto in his tracks. "You're not in danger anymore, though."

"I was Raven's second." her dirty blue eyes narrowed. "Her apprentice in all but name. Gregor or no, the Tribe will eat me alive if I you leave me here."

Naruto bristled; because she wasn't lying. He could sense that much. Gregor might follow his commands, but he couldn't be everywhere at once. And his clones wouldn't keep forever. Sooner or later they'd run out chakra and then where would she be? A little girl surrounded by a bunch of bandits. Bandits that he was trying to reform, but bandits still.

"You gonna take the Relic?"

"I...maybe." he confessed. "I don't know. Haven't decided yet.

Still, a chance to find the truth, the possibility to go home, it called to him.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply to that effect, only to jump as something vibrated violently in his pocket.

_BRRRRRRRRRNNNNG!_

"Gah?!"

It took him a moment to realize he wasn't being attacked; rather, it was his Scroll yelping angrily in his trousers. He ripped it out and balked at it.

"How the hell am I getting reception all the way out here?"

"We're close to Haven." As ever, Vernal was quick to supply him with the answer. "See that?" she pointed to a spire in the distance. "You can see the CCT tower from here."

Naruto saw the caller ID and grimaced.

_Amber._

"Oh, she's gonna kill me."

With great trepidation he fumbled his Scroll open and held it out before him as he'd been instructed to do. There was no image to be found as the call connected. At a loss for anything else, he held it up to his right ear. A harsh squeal of static-or perhaps it was wind?- greeted him and he winced. Then came a soft click, followed by painful silence. Baffled, he held it out again.

"Hey, partner." he began as eloquently as he could, "I know you're mad but-

_"Naruto!_" Amber's voice yelped back in naked relief._ "You're alright?!"_

"Yup. Raven and I fought...and I...kinda took her Tribe out from under her."

_"You did what?!"_ Qrow's voice squawked somewhere in the background. _"When?! How?!"_

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "What's 'ol birdbrain doing there? You know what? Nevermind. Please tell me you're on your way here." the words escaped him in a groan. "I have no idea what I'm doing." Another thought hit him and he voiced it quickly. "Raven's the Spring Maiden, by the way. Thought you should know."

_"I know."_ Amber sounded grimly pleased. _"She accidentally revealed herself to me. Ozpin's over the moon."_

"There's more." he amended with an irritated glance over his shoulder. Vernal blew a raspberry at him. "Apparently I have a student now, too. She mentioned something about a Relic and a lamp. Also, apparently there's a madwoman named Salem in charge of the Grimm." this time, try as he might, Naruto couldn't quite keep the challenge from his voice. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Qrow swore.

Amber squeaked.

"Well? Don't lead me on here."

A pregnant pause followed, twisting his guts into ugly knots, He dreaded the thought of Amber keeping secrets. She was one of the few people he trusted in this world, and Raven's poisoned words threatened to turn that trust toxic. He wanted to believe that she was innocent in all this, just a pawn in a larger game. If she'd been holding out on him, actively keeping him in the dark...well. He wasn't sure what he'd do. That frightened him more than words ever could.

In the end, he needn't have worried, for her reply proved swift.

_"I only know a little, honest."_ there was a decidedly sheepish note in the Fall Maiden's voice when she answered. _"Ozpin didn't tell me much. What's this about a lamp now?"_

_"Lemme talk to him!"_ Qrow cried!

_"Not with your Semblance, buster!"_ Amber snapped back._ "Its a miracle we haven't crashed yet!"_

As if waiting for that very cue, the connection flickered.

_"Blast it, we're losing you! Listen!"_ Amber's tan face swam before the Scroll for a moment and he glimpsed the fear in her eyes before it vanished again. _"Stay there and whatever you say, whatever you do, DON'T let Raven leave! You can't!"_ She said something else, but the call cut her words to ribbons. _"There's a chance Salem might make a move on her. We've commandeered a bullhead and should be there in a few hours. Stay put!"_

"Sure." Naruto spared another glance for Vernal. "There's somewhere I want to visit before we return to Vale, though."

_"Name it."_

His eyes narrowed.

Focused on the spire in the distance. "Haven."

**A/N: Aaaaaand there we are! Hope you enjoyed that. ****I certainly did~!**

**Events are progressing, the plot is moving, and Tyrian is lurking. I'm sure he just wants to give Naruto a hug.**

**Naruto's slowly becoming something he doesn't like, and it shows. He nearly killed Raven without meaning to, and now he knows of the Relics. He also gave a certain birdie much-needed wakeup call with that rant of his. ****Time will tell if Raven gets her act together. **

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**Speakin' a which...**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY! **_

**(Previews)**

_"NARUTO UZUMAKI!" the resultant shout nearly caused him to jump. "YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAININ' TO DO!"_

_"Whipped." Vernal swung her hand and mimed a cracking sound._

* * *

_"I don't mind being hated, but I hate being misunderstood."_

_"Fair enough. But can you really go back to trusting someone who's kept so much from you?"_

* * *

_Something was wrong._

_Naruto couldn't put his finger on it, but he'd been feeling restless for the last five minutes. His senses were sharp as ever, and there wasn't a single enemy nearby, but even then he couldn't quite bring himself to relax. He grit his teeth and tried to shake the strange feeling of dread away, to no avail. They were safe here in Haven. No one was going to turn on them. There would be no ambush here, no betrayals, no surprises._

_Something clicked in the back of his brain. __Wait. Surprises?_

_When he'd introduced himself, Lionheart had known his name. Before he'd even given it. He'd ignored it at the time, thought it a slip of the tongue, or that Ozpin had mentioned him._

_He hadn't._

_Blue eyes widened in realization. Vernal yelped. And the world exploded._

**_R&R~!_**


	8. Time of the Turning (Interlude)

**A/N: Looong chapter ahoy! ****PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**The flames and the death threats need to stop. Here and now. Clearly this story isn't for everyone, the sheer amount of vitriol this chapter received has made that abundantly clear. Threatening me and my team like this means we won't update. At all.**

**Is that what you want?**

**Furthermore, this chapter was getting far too long in the tooth, and folks were clamoring for an update; thus this interlude was born as we split things into halves. Don't worry, the next update will be coming quickly. We just didn't want to make you guys and gals wait any longer than you already had.**

**Now, then! L****ets answer a few questions, shall we:**

**Q: You really like writing Raven, don't you?**

**A: She's such an amusing bundle of emotions. As someone studying to be a psychologist, its fun to figure out what makes her tick. I wouldn't call her a villain in this story, but she's certainly not one of the good guys. Suppose she falls somewhere between those two. Anti-hero, then? Vigilante? Hmm. Regardless, she sees what Naruto "could" be and wants to draw it out. A force of destruction, a new player Ozpin and Salem's perpetual shadow war. Someone who could be swayed to help her.**

**Think of her as the little devil on Naruto's shoulder, a force of wanton temptation. Some folks love her, others hate her.**

**What can I say? She's complicated.**

**Q: Naruto's still pure, right?**

**A: Now that's a tricky question, isn't it? He's been through hell and back, but though he may grapple with his temper, at the end of the day he's still essentially himself. Remember, he's been ripped from his world, saved Amber, discovered magic is actually a thing in this realm, taken on a student, and discovered the existence of an immortal being who reminds him FAR too much of Kaguya. ****Unlike his canon stuff, he's a lot less likely to put up with certain things. And he CERTAINLY isn't going to let someone smack him around.**

**He still wants to help people; moreover, he'll avoid killing if he can. If someone pushes him...**

**Q: More Naruto x Amber moments, please! Its high time we see the proper romance you've promised us!**

**A: Trust me, if its romance you seek, you'll be pleased with this chapter...and perhaps a little surprised. I'll not say more.**

**Ozpin WANTS these two together -very, very badly!- and what he wants, he often gets. Nevermind the fact that these two are some of the strongest people on Remnant right now, but they also work very well and are emotionally invested in one another.**

**Just imagine what a child of a Jinchuuriki and a Maiden would be like. Yikes! Salem herself would run from that. ****Don't think we've forgotten Winter or Neo, either. We'll see them again.**

**Q: Gregor has silver eyes?**

**A: Caught that, did you? That'll play into things later. Rest assured, the Tribe has a part to play in this story, as does Raven.**

**Q: Can we expect to see Lionheart make a move? I mean, Tyrian is skulking about and there's just no way Salem's gonna stay quiet if Naruto makes a move for that relic.**

**A: *Zips lips***

**Q: Why is Naruto so keen on the Relic of Knowledge?**

**A: Because he wants to know the truth. He isn't sure if he wants to go back or not; and he doesn't like the idea of being manipulated by Ozpin.**

**Q: Where the duck is Cinder?! Did you kill her?!**

**A: Um...no? We've been over this. She was badly injured by Naruto and Amber alike. Its been all but stated by Tyrian that she's recovering back in the Grimmlands. Cinder and Mercury didn't exactly fare much better and were left in a similar state. Even with Aura, they need time to recover. Meanwhile, Cinder's busy hatching a plan of her own. Good luck, Cindy. You're gonna need it.**

**As ever, I own no quotes, no references, no themes, and certainly no memes. ****They're used for entertainment purposes and laughter alone!**

**Ozpin is, unfortunately...Ozpin in this story. ****Bad Ozma! No matchmaking! BAD!**

**Also! Bad Raven! VERY bad!**

_"That young man is the key to everything, Qrow. He could turn the tide against Salem. We need him on our side. We MUST have him. No matter the cost."_

_"I get what you're saying here, Oz. But its not **you **the kid's gonna be loyal to. He'll protect Amber. You gotta remember that."_

_"Hmm? Yes, yes, I'm well aware of his feelings for our Fall Maiden. From what I've seen she feels the same, no?"_

_"I don't like that look. You're planning something. Don't push them together. It won't end well."_

_"I can see it now; any son or daughter of theirs would be a powerhouse!"_

_"Aaaaand there he goes. He'll be like this all day."_

_~a discussion._

**Time of the Turning (Interlude)**

By some miracle, Raven Branwen _didn't_ flee in the dead of night.

That came as something of a surprise for Naruto...and not necessarily a welcome one.

In all honestly, he'd _expected_ the Spring Maiden to bolt the moment he took his eyes off her. Raven seemed the sort, and he knew her type._ She was a coward._ One who would run away from danger the moment they could. So he slept lightly with Vernal by his side, waiting for one of his clones to sound the alarm, prepared to bolt upright at the slightest provocation. He'd been braced for a wild goose chase across the four kingdoms; because he knew the measure of her and didn't trust the Branwen woman one bit. Still, if she'd run away...well, that would've been annoying. He would've caught her of course, but still.

Maybe his luck was finally turning around? Maybe she realized she was trapped, that she'd screwed herself with nowhere left to go. Who could say?

But when he went to check in on her the next morning and found her reclining in bed without a care in the world , Naruto _knew_ she was up to something. Why, you ask? Elementary, of course.

_You see, Raven was smiling._

That smile alone set off a thousand warning bells in the back of Naruto's head. He knew it all too well; having seen it in the face of countless enemies before. Orochimaru, Madara, even Kaguya near the end. It was the smile of a predator ready to pounce. The grin of a foe who thought they had the upper-hand. She was still flanked by the two clones he'd left behind, and though they steadfastly refused to look at her, she nevertheless projected a strange air of confidence that hadn't been there last night.

"Come to check on me, have you?" pearly white teeth flashed at him as he stepped into her tent. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Naruto felt his right eye begin to twitch. To his keen eyes Raven looked far healthier than she'd been last evening; she wasn't quite as pale as he remembered and the dark circles were all but gone from her eyes. When he dispelled his clones she even sat up properly as well, meaning her Aura must've recovered enough to hasten her recovery in that regard.

_She was also naked._

Once upon a time, Naruto would've sputtered and flailed like a hormonal teenager at the sight of a naked woman. He would've shouted and shrieked for Raven to put clothes on and when that failed, bolted from her tent like a lemming. Now? He'd been ripped from his world, rescued a young woman who used magic, been kidnapped, learned of an immortal being that reminded him of Kaguya, and taken on an apprentice. In that order. He wasn't about to be undone by a pair of tits, no matter how lovely they might seem. No. He was strong. He was a rock, unmovable, unshakable...!

His eyes betrayed him and he looked down. _Bugger._

**"Ugh, its too early for this shit."** Kurama yawned, gazed through his eyes, and didn't wait for an answer.** "I'm going back to sleep...**

Naruto agreed wholeheartedly. "Why are you naked?"

"Why not?" Raven tilted her head to regard him. "I sleep as I please."

The jinchuuriki slapped a palm against his forehead. "Yes. Yes, I can see that. Clothes? Now? Please?"

"Why?" her grin grew an inch as she tossed her hair to one side. It did lovely things to her chest. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

_'Very much so, yes!' _he dare not speak the words aloud; they'd give her power over him and that was the last thing he wanted from someone like her.

Raven must've seen his discomfort regardless; because she rose from her bed with a languid sigh. The sheets slid from her lower torso like water off a duck's back, revealing herself fully to his wide eyes. Rather than cross the room and bridge the gap between them immediately, the bandit queen took time to stretch, deliberately drawing out the moment -and his discomfort!- as long as she could. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, fingernails all but biting into his palms until they drew blood. The brief flash of pain steadied him, helped him focus once more.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot last night." She padded towards him, her hips swaying, bare feet treading lightly against the dirt. "Why don't we start over and reevaluate our...partnership?"

If she felt any shame in her nakedness, she didn't show it. Why should she? She was a beautiful woman, toned in all the right places, yet with flowing curves in others. What few scars she had, she bore with pride...even if he'd been responsible for a few of them. A fracture etched itself into Naruto's resolve, but he held fast; until his eyes betrayed him yet again.

_Huh, neat._ A small, distant part of Naruto's brain mused as she continued her approach. _Curtains match the drapes-no! Bad brain! Behave!_

"So tense." the Spring Maiden purred into the silence, running a hand down his arm. "Look at you. You're stiff as a board."

_'In more ways than one!'_

"I don't mind being hated, but I _hate_ being misunderstood." He slapped her hand away, inhaled, and set his jaw. Sure enough, he found the telltale scent of alcohol on her breath. Kurama might've abandoned him to this, but he didn't trust Raven one bit. "I'll take your offer for the Relic, but that's all. And once again, for the love of ramen, _get dressed!"_

"Fair enough." Raven allowed, ignoring him entirely. "But can you really go back to trusting someone who's kept so much from you?"

"I don't trust Ozpin." he lifted his chin in stubborn defiance.

"But you _do_ trust his little Maiden." she retorted, jabbing his cheek with a manicured nail. "Did it ever occur to you that she might be wrapped around his little finger just as much, if not moreso than you?" he snapped at her finger when she tried jab him yet again and she withdrew the questing digit with a scowl. "She probably laps up whatever lies he feeds her. Just like my fool of a brother."

"We are _not_ having this conversation again."

To her credit, Raven realized she'd trod upon a landmine; because she backed up and raised her hands in a placating gesture. She then turned and rummaged about in a nearby war chest before pulling out a thin strip of silk that could only be underwear. She slid her legs through the panties with agonizing slowness, much to his dismay.

_Red lace!_ his brain supplied less than helpfully!

Under his less than amused gaze, she straightened and ran a hand through her dark hair. "Better?"

"And the rest?" Naruto felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on again.

"Nah," she granted him a cheshire grin. "Don't feel like it."

Naruto nearly slammed his head into the ground.

"Come now, don't be so rude...

"Alright, I'll bite." He schooled his face into what he hoped was an impassive expression. "What the hell is this supposed to be? Are you trying to seduce me or something?"

"That depends entirely on you." Raven touched a hand to his shoulder and began to circle him like a shark, one hand gliding over his body all the while. By now, her grin bordered on insufferable. Arrogant, even. She knew the effect she was having on him. "Is it working?"

Yes? No? Maybe so? Naruto crossed both arms before his blazer, willing himself to meet her eyes and _absolutely_ _nothing else_ as she continued to circle him_._ There was no denying that Raven was lovely. Even a fool could see that. She was a fighter. A warrior, one on Qrow's level, if not higher still. The sight of her stirred strange feelings in him, things he'd not experienced before. Her eyes danced in the early morning light and her smile promised secrets and softness and warmth unending. Naruto knew poison lurked beneath that sly smirk of hers.

He didn't dare drink of it.

Because at the day, Raven Branwen _wasn't_ a good person. She'd made no secret of it. She was a self-serving coward who cared only for strength and little else. Only twenty four hours ago, this woman had held Amber hostage. That wasn't something he was willing to forgive-not anytime soon. After all he'd pounded her into the ground for it. That should've been enough. It wasn't.

_'Don't think about pounding right now.'_ he marshaled his thoughts and arrayed them in a bulwark against her feminine wiles. _'You need her for the Relic. That's all. Don't let her get in your head.'_

"So strong, and yet so naive." Raven stopped suddenly before him and cupped his face in one hand. "You a virgin, too? Ever laid with a woman before?"

Aaaaaaand this was officially veering into unwanted territory! _'None of that! Full stop! Brakes! Stooop!'_

Naruto wrenched his chin down, breaking her grip. "That's enough. Drop the act already."

"I'm not acting, you dolt." she grabbed for him again, and he caught her wrist.

_"Neither am I."_

That didn't stop Raven. Far from it, his actions only seemed to embolden the Spring Maiden. She didn't try to pull away, rather she stepped _into_ him. Even as he felt the bones of her right arm grind under his grip she looped her left around his waist. For a moment, his body faltered and he went weak at the knees. Her body was warm and soft against him, her hips pressed to his. She was clearly willing and unlike Winter, she wasn't forcing him into anything. Would it be so wrong to...? _No! Treacherous thoughts! Resist!_

His eyes flashed and he leaned back. Raven scowled.

"There it is, again. That blasted restraint of yours. When will you learn to discard it?" she shook her head, disappointment flashing through her crimson gaze. "Even now with my Aura returned, you could break my arm like a twig. I thought you were strong."

"I'm stronger than _you."_ the words slipped out before he could think to hold them back and he cursed inwardly. Screw it. "Or do you need a reminder?"

"I might." Raven's gaze lit with triumph as she leaned forward. "You're not acting like your strong. If anything, you're being a scared little _bitch."_ her lips brushed his ear in a sneer, breath warm on his face. "Where's the warrior who trounced me yesterday? Did he run away? I don't see him anywhere-

His grip tightened on her arm and Raven's taunt became a hiss of pain as the bones in her wrist began to buckle.

_"There_ he is." her grin was almost euphoric. "Welcome back."

For a moment Naruto almost considered kicking her ass to kingdom come; if only to silence Raven's inane prattling once and for all. He knew she was goading him. Trying to get a reaction. It made him want to shut her up for good. The thought alarmed him a moment later and he balked at it. He disliked Raven, but he wasn't about to _maim_ or humiliate her to prove a point. He was above such things. Wasn't he?

"We could fight again, if you like." the former huntress regarded him through half-lidded eyes. "Or you could take me, right here. Go on. Do it. Show your strength."

_'Kurama?'_ Naruto called out in vain. _'Buddy? Pal? I could use a little help, here!'_

**"Nope."** came the immediate reply. **"Not messing with crazy."**

_'She's cracked! Did I break her or something?!'_

**"Nope."**

_'Don't hang me out to dry, damnit!'_

**"NOPE!"**

A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw and he slapped some sense back into himself. Bloody Raven and her bloody fascination for strength! He knew what she was doing. This was just another one of her power plays. He'd not fall for her tricks. But for some reason, he couldn't sense any ill-intent emanating from her. None directed toward him at least. Despite his misgivings, she _wasn't_ planning on stabbing him in the back. She couldn't possibly be genuine in this...could she? Please no. Not that. Anything but that. He didn't think his mind could handle the idea of Raven being _genuinely_ interested in him.

"I'm...not exactly looking for a relationship here." Naruto struggled out.

"Good." Her mouth nibbled the edge of his ear, drawing an irritated hiss from him. "Neither am I."

Naruto considered to knock her out. Nearly did, at that. But he _needed_ her for that damn door. She couldn't open it if she was out cold and the fact remained, she _hadn't_ recovered fully. If he hit her too hard he might inflict some permanent damage. If that were to happen he could _try_ to blast down the vault himself, but he wasn't sure that would work. Magic was tricky like that. If he let Raven slip away now, he might never find her again and his questions would never be answered. It wasn't a risk he was willing to take. That meant keeping her under constant watch, if not placating her outright...but not like this.

A certain part of his anatomy argued otherwise._ Quite loudly!_

He was fairly certain someone had tried this once before back in his world. Hadn't they? He distinctly remembered an enemy kissing him, trying to suck the life out of him, and nearly succeeding. While he doubted Raven possessed such an ability the memory was more than enough to snap him back to reality, painful though it might be. He'd survived that attempt, and he'd survive...whatever the hell this was. She'd had made no secret of trying to convert him to her way of thinking before. And while she'd sowed a few seeds of doubt, he still wasn't willing to throw his lot in with her. Not now. Maybe not ever, even if some small part of him seemed intent on lusting after her_...bad touch!_

"Ugh!" he finally flung up his arms in a shove and turned away. "I can't stand you! You bring out the worst in me!"

"Good! Your worst is what I _want!_" Raven stomped a bare foot down, causing the dirt to buckle beneath her toes. "Get angry! Show me who you truly are! You could be so much more than this! Yet you shackle yourself! Restraint! Morality! Decency! You don't need them! Throw them away!" her eyes flashed and hand swept through the air between them, trailing blue sparks. "You allow Ozpin to lead you around by the dog like some cur and play at being a pauper when you could be a _prince!_ A king! A god among men!"

"I don't want any of that!" he snarled.

Naruto turned back to refute her with a snarl, and a blur of motion greeted him. For once, he wasn't quick enough to catch her. Frustration slowed him. Just a touch. Just a hair. It shouldn't have made a lick of difference in the long run. He was stronger than Raven. Faster, at the very least. He could easily overpower her if it came to fight. But here, in this moment, he wasn't thinking clearly. His sixth sense shrieked as a spike of negativity assailed him, but no blade struck his back, no sword found his stomach.

Instead, an open palm cracked across Naruto's face.

His head snapped to the right and He blinked in surprise, incredulous as he touched a hand to the throbbing red handprint she'd left on his cheek. Pain. Actual pain. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like since he came to Remnant. Being slapped by a naked woman hadn't been on his to-do list today. Something ugly bubbled up in him. Frustration. Anger. Something else he'd rather not speak of.

"Really?" an eye began to twitch. "We're doing this again?"

"You blind, bloody fool." Raven reared back to strike him anew. "Stop lying to yourself! Stop holding back!"

Her hand whipped toward his face and Naruto reacted accordingly.

When she tried to slap him a second time, he caught her wrist and wrenched it over her head. Then he did the same to her free hand when she sought to hit him with that. Her knee kicked out at his groin in a fit of pique and he blocked it with his own, leaving her balanced on one heel. Weakness. Naruto capitalized on it and drove his head against hers in a vicious headbutt; sure enough he felt Aura flare up as his skull struck hers. He didn't care. He headbutted her again and Raven reeled back with a hiss, momentarily stunned. From there he released her wrists and gave her a quick shove, sending her stumbling back towards the bed.

This time, Naruto _chased_ her.

"You want me to stop?! Fine!" he roared! "I'll stop!"

Raven surged upright and threw a wild haymaker at his head. Naruto ducked under her fist and stepped into her guard once more. Tan fingers locked around the Spring Maiden's throat, _lifted_ her off her feet and _slammed_ her back down into the mattress enough force to make the bed jump. Not enough to hurt her, but to pin her all the same. A subtle tightening of his fingers caused her to go terribly still beneath him. She blinked up at him in naked surprise, red eyes wide and cheeks flushed, dark hair splayed out behind her like the wings of some fallen angel as her bosom heaved with heavy breath.

"There." the word escaped him in a growl as he peeled his hands away. "You lost again. Happy now?"

Just like that, the tension evaporated, replaced by something else entirely.

"If this is what losing to you feels like, maybe I wouldn't mind it so much." A different kind grin crept across Raven's face as he let her sit up. "Aren't you going to claim your prize?"

"No." Naruto pulled back. No matter how attractive she might be, he was beginning to realize Raven wasn't quite right in the head. She saw the world in a different way than most, and while that might not be a bad thing, there could be no denying that she'd done wrong in the past. He didn't trust her.

"Why not?" she flounced upright and grabbed his hand, guiding it between her breasts. Forward, this one! "I want you to."

Blue eyes narrowed to glowing azure slits. "And _I_ want you to let go."

"Don't you see?" she did as asked, but now her pale hands rose to cup his whiskered cheeks instead. _"This." _she leaned further back, twining her fingers in his hair to pull him atop her. "This is what you're meant to be. A warrior. A conqueror. Why limit yourself?" Her eyes narrowed as she crept closer still. "Why dwell on the past? Why be less than what you truly are?"

"Because I'm not like you." he swore, the words lacking their usual heat. "I don't enjoy hurting people."

"Nor do I." Her lips brushed his, bringing with them the faint aroma of alcohol and...rain? The latter surprised him. "I take no pleasure in pain. I lead my tribe because I want to survive; because I must. I claimed the power of the Spring Maiden to keep it safe from Salem. Do I have regrets? Certainly." Raven looked away and whatever fury she'd felt seemed to have vanished as surely as a spring storm now, taking her ire with it. "But I won't dwell on them." her gaze snapped back to his, eyes burning. The past is the past and our mistakes make us who we are. It is not weakness to admit that, Naruto. Nor is it weakness to want someone. Honesty takes strength, too. Compared to that, what's wrong with being a little selfish once in a while?"

"Everything!" Naruto broke free and pulled away. Blast it. She'd dragged him into another argument again. "I have responsibilities!"

"Name them, then." she laid her hand atop his. "Name one thing Ozpin hasn't forced on you or otherwise tricked you into."

His jaw clicked shut. "..."

Raven could have pounced on him in that moment. But she didn't.

"Last night, you called me a coward." Instead she began speaking once more. "And you were right." his head whipped around and he found a small, bitter smile waiting for him there. "I spent the entire evening drinking any booze I could find, and when I couldn't drink anymore, I cried myself to sleep. Pitiful, isn't it?" she chuckled bitterly and dabbed at her face with the back of an arm. "I'm the Spring Maiden. I'm told myself I was the strongest. Then you came along and crushed me in an instant, both physically and mentally."

_'Sorry?'_ Naruto wanted to say the word, but something held him back.

"And then you took me to task for what I did. You called me on the carpet for my crap. You were right." she quivered, clutching her arms to herself. "I'm afraid. I was always afraid of...so many things. I lost everything because of that fear." Angry tears burned in her eyes. "I threw away my own daughter. Barely held her in my arms for a day before I just...ran away. That's unforgivable. Even if I went back to her now, even if I flung myself at her feet and begged forgiveness, nothing would change." something hardened in her gaze. "I'm not the same person I was back then. They're better off without me. I can't go back. I won't."

A small, tiny sigh fled from her lips as she straightened to regard him.

"But I think you're afraid, too." Raven contemplated him for a long moment. "Not of me, not of Ozpin, nor Salem," she amended when his eyes flashed, "But of failure. You hold yourself to this golden standard, and you're terrified of breaking it." Her hand ran over his, warm as lava glow. "In that regard, you're like me. We're both afraid, but we also have things we don't want to lose." her fingers ran higher, seeking his face. "That's why I'm going to help you get past this funk of yours."

Relief crashed over him. "Good...?"

_"I'm also going to screw your brains out."_

Naruto choked on his own spit. "I thought we were past this!"

"Not a chance in hell. If you _didn't_ want me, you would've walked away by now, no?" a dark brow rose. "But you haven't. You want to let go too, don't you? Some small part of you wants to know what it feels like. To just be free from all your worries and cares, if only for a little while." His silence must've spoke for him again, because she chided him with a small smile of her own. "Oh? You're not blushing. Not as naive as you look then." her sad smile took on a lascivious edge. "I know that look. You _have_ kissed a woman before."

"Had several kisses stolen from me, more like." his tongue betrayed him for a second time. "Damn Schnee."

"Schnee...? Wait, you mean that really _was_ Winter Schnee you fought?!" a sharp bark of laughter burst from the Maiden as she slapped her knee. "I wasn't sure. Now _that's_ a story I'd like to hear sometime. Half the world thinks she's a prude."

"Don't let her ice-queen act fool you." Naruto couldn't quite keep the smile from his voice when he shook his head. "She's got daddy issues and an inferiority complex a mile wide."

"Lucky for you then that I'm not a Schnee." Raven tossed her hair. "I won't guilt someone into bedding me. You tell me to stop and I'll stop. "

Naruto twitched. "Just like that?"

"Yup~"

She turned to face him once more and this time there could be no mistaking the hunger in her eyes, the way she pivoted her body so she was facing him fully. He'd changed Raven, he realized. In crushing her yesterday and taking her to ask for what she'd done, he'd altered the very nature of her being. Not in the way he'd intended or even wanted to, but he'd inadvertently aided her nonetheless. Somehow, knowing the reason behind it made things worse. So much worse.

It meant she wasn't doing this to be cruel, or even out of lust; but because she cared.

_"Tell me to stop."_ Raven whispered as her forehead touched his own, her hands rising to caress his whiskered visage. "Tell me you don't want this." She shifted her hips against him, hooking a bare leg against his thigh to entrap him further still. "Say you don't want me. Go ahead. Speak the _truth_ and I'll stop." her head tilted just so to allow him better access if he but chose to indulge. "Say it. _I'm not attracted to you, Raven. I want nothing to do with you, Raven._ Say those words and this will be all be over." a pause followed. "Well? I'm listening. This is your last chance."

Naruto tried to speak. He really, truly did. For once in his life, words failed him. No, he realized. Words had got him into this mess in the first place. If he'd simply defeated Raven and left, he wouldn't have this problem. Instead he'd knocked some sense into her. Both figuratively and literally. Now she had her sights set on him and him alone.

Raven didn't mock him for his silence; she simply leaned in, pressing her lips to his.

Naruto inhaled sharply through his nose, eyes widening in surprise. Her mouth was warm and the kiss surprisingly gentle. Downright chaste, even. Not at all angry as Winter had been, and with none of the primal ferocity he might've expected from a bandit. Raven kissed him as a lover might, tongue parting his lips, questing for entrance, arms lazily twining around his neck as she pulled him down to her bed. She made no effort to tear at his clothes or rip the fabric from his flesh. He was glad she didn't. He didn't trust his control to hold if she did.

This was wrong...wasn't it? And yet it felt so right.

"Just let go." she breathed between kisses. "Stop thinking so damn much and _relax_ for once in your life."

At the end of the day, Naruto Uzumaki was only human; and there was only _so much_ the human body could take without going mad.

When her hips straddled his and began to move, his self-control slipped; desire breached the surface with a vengeance. He grabbed Raven by the waist and surged up to meet her. She met him halfway, fingers tangling in his hair as his hands brushed against her rear. She made a tiny noise of appreciation into his mouth and crushed her mouth against his again. He hardly knew the first thing when it came to kissing; moving on instinct and nothing else. Raven proved a patient lover

"See? Isn't this nice?" she purred, grinding against the fabric of his pants as his hands came up to rest on her breasts. "No anger. No stress. No complicated feelings. Just a nice, good_...lay."_

It was.

Naruto loathed admitting it, but there was some semblance of truth to be had in Raven's words. Even with his clothes on and her hands on him, his mind felt almost pleasantly blank for once. Her body was warm to the touch and the little sounds she made set his very blood on fire.

When he accidentally bit Raven's lip she cried out and recoiled; not in pain or surprise, but sheer delight. Red eyes flashed with flame as she reared back. A sudden breeze tore through the tent and for a fleeting sliver of a second she almost reminded him of an angry goddess, an avatar of pure destruction ready to scour the world clean. The sight stirred something strange in him and those bloody red orbs burned brighter yet still. Her hand settled on his chest and tore his jacket away, exposing the scarred plane of his chest to her wanting gaze.

For a long moment, the Spring Maiden didn't speak, she simply stared at his scars, eyes dark with lust.

"What?" Naruto pushed himself up on the points of his elbows. "Something wrong?"

"No, its nothing." Raven licked her bloody lip clean and shook her head, ebony hair swaying in the breeze. "For what its worth, I'm glad I met you. Also, one more thing."

Naruto tilted his head.

Raven's eyes burned like the sun. "Hope you aren't too attached to those pants."

Then she descended upon him anew and Naruto had no more time for any traitorous thoughts.

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

The world came back to Naruto quickly as he realized what he'd done.

Blue eyes stared up at the cloth ceiling of the tent, blinking slowly as comprehension dawned.

He'd woken only a few minutes ago to find himself tired and sore, almost pleasantly so. Warm, too. At first he wasn't even sure how much time had passed; although sunlight still spilled into the tent, it was higher than before, suggesting morning had long since been left behind. Afternoon, then. They'd been out for hours. It should've alarmed him. Instead he felt content. Sated, even. All the stress and anxiety he'd built up over the last few days?

Yeah, that was gone now. He couldn't even remember why he'd been so irritated in the first place. But his mind -and the warm body nestled against him!- wouldn't allow him to forget his actions. How could he?

_Her hips on his, their fingers intertwined, her back arching as she cried out his name...!_

Naruto sputtered and shook his head, dispelling the flash of memory.

...well." he blew out a sigh. "That happened."

Only then did he dare look down.

In sleep, Raven Branwen looked almost...normal as she spooned against him. Dare he say cute? It was hard to believe this woman was capable of flattening forests, calling down thunderstorms, turning the world to ice, or summoning raging flames hot enough to char flesh. Maidens were truly a terrifying thing indeed. Her powers were probably even greater than Amber's. And wasn't that a little worrying? He might be able to best Raven in a fight, but this woman -this monster- would make mincemeat of anyone else.

Red eyes fluttered open to meet his. Blinked. Widened. Narrowed, as she awakened and remembered where she was.

Her body coiled for a moment, then relaxed when she recognized him. A lazy smile followed.

"Morning~" she pushed herself up to kiss his cheek. "What time is it?"

"Afternoon, probably." he surmised.

"Ugh." a shaft of sunlight found her face and the bandit hid her head in the crook of his shoulder to avoid it. "Forget I asked."

They lay there in companionable silence for a moment more before Naruto finally found his voice. It wasn't merely a matter of mustering the nerve to speak; his body wanted nothing more than to laze about, but he knew Raven would take advantage of that. He refused to allow it.

"So." he began awkwardly. "That was nice...?"

"Don't be such a wuss." Raven elbowed him. "Its just sex. We had fun. Maybe we'll do it again. Doesn't have to mean anything. You're feeling better now, aren't you?"

His expression betrayed him.

"Good." Raven laid a scorching kiss on his lips. "Then I've done my job."

"If you're trying to manipulate me," his voice rose in a warning as she pulled away, "It won't work."

"Manipulate? You?" Raven settled against him. "I'm no fool; if I tried to push you now, I wouldn't stand a chance. Your choices are your own."

Try through he might to ignore it, Naruto felt like what they'd done really _should_ mean something to him. Amber's face flashed in his mind's eye and he fought down a mild wince. He wasn't with her. Shouldn't matter. It still felt like a betrayal. He might feel better now, but for some reason he couldn't quite ease the sting of regret in his chest.

_...how am I going to explain this?' _he wondered.

**"Please don't." **Kurama muttered.** "It was hard enough ignoring the two you. Just pretend it didn't happen. That's what I'll be doing."**

_'Hey! Fat load of good you were!'_

Raven laid another kiss on his neck. "You know, you weren't half bad yourself...for a virgin."

Naruto couldn't quite hide the muscle that jumped in his jaw. _'How did she know?!'_

In defiance of that very statement, the battered bed-frame broke beneath them and nearly sent them tumbling down to the floor. Heat rose in Raven's cheeks at having been caught out, turning her pale skin scarlet as he looked on. It almost made her look girlish. Nevermind what he'd just said; he was going to milk this to kingdom come.

A blond brow rose. "You were saying?"

"Fine, fine." Raven laughed. "You were wonderful. Now help me with my hair, would you? Its always a mess after this."

Numb fingers helped lift those ebony tresses until she could find a leather strip and begin to wrap them into a ponytail once more. Her hair wasn't just long, it was heavy, having weight and volume both. How could she stand it?

Kurama saw it first. **"Oh."**

Naruto noticed it a heartbeat later himself. At such an angle he couldn't help _but_ see the scars on Raven's bare back. They were impossible to ignore. There were more than a few of them, and pity stirred in his heart before he could think to stomp it down. Judging by the marks and the stretching, it looked like a Grimm had caught her...or several. But those didn't look like claw marks_. What were they?_

"Like what you see?" a red eye peered over her shoulder.

"How did you get this injury?" the words escaped him before he could hold them back.

"Which one?" she smirked.

_"Raven!"_

"Oh, you mean those. Grimm attacked the Tribe when I was little." she continued to bind her hair as he balked. "An Ursa went after Qrow. I pushed him out of the way. Damn thing nearly bit me in half."

"How?" he asked.

"He was my baby brother. I couldn't let him die."

"No, not that." he muttered. "I mean, how are you still_ alive?"_

"Rage is a hell of an anesthetic?" when the query didn't satisfy him, her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "I don't know. Everything was hazy for awhile after that. My wounds got infected." Those eerie red eyes took on a distant look as she told her tale. "I slipped in and out of consciousness for days at a time. I didn't think I'd survive...then one day I woke, and my injuries were healed." He offered her a fresh strip and she ruthlessly bound her hair within that as well. "Qrow told me a doctor passed through and tended to me, but whoever they were, I never saw them."

Curiosity reared its head. Someone who could mend wounds like that must've been in high demand back then. "He get a good look at them?"

"Not really." Raven finished binding her hair and gave it a final shake before turning to face him. "Like I said, we were little back then. He told me they wore a golden cloak with black markings. That was about it."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kurama hissed. **"That shouldn't be possible."**

_'What?'_ Naruto turned his attention inward._ 'Do you have something?'_

**"I have...a suspicion. Ask me later."**

Focusing once more, he turned his attention outward. "You were brave, for a kid."

"And now I'm not." she preened and clenched one hand into a fist. "I survived. I got stronger. Now no Grimm will ever touch me again."

His hand twitched toward hers almost before he realized it. Naruto snatched it back. No. He couldn't feel empathy for Raven. If he did, he'd be lost.

"We don't _have_ to get up, you know." she flopped down beside him. Red eyes found his. "Stay. There's no reason to rush. For better or worse, you're in charge now. Those idiots have to listen to you, whether they like it or not." she took his hand in hers and kissed it. "We could have breakfast in bed...?"

No. He'd played her game long enough. If he stayed, if he allowed himself to get attached...bad things would happen. A dark part of Naruto wanted to indulge again; he'd gotten a taste of her and hungered for more. This time, he didn't let it rule him. He reigned his emotions in ruthlessly.

If Amber saw him like this...!

The reminder gave Naruto the kick in the ass he needed. He tugged his hand away.

"That's enough. Stop." He placed his hands on Raven's shoulders and sat up, pushing her back to arms length. He held her there when she struggled. "We're done here."

"If you say so." she hummed as he kicked away the sheets and clamored to his feet. "Here." she leaned over and dipped a hand into a nearby chest, then tossed him a tattered red shirt and a pair of dark slacks. "I've still got some of Qrow's old clothes lying around. These should be about your size."

He accepted them quickly, then the silver jacket she flung at him.

"Hmm." She considered him a moment longer as he dressed himself. "Hmm. You look good in those colors. Maybe you should keep them?"

"Maybe I will. We'll talk later." Quick as a flash, he choked down a snarky comment dressed himself and summoned another pair of clones to prevent her pursuit. "Keep an eye on her." he snapped at them as he marched away. "She doesn't leave the tent until Amber and the others get here." a pause, as he considered her earlier actions. "And make sure she puts on some more clothes, damnit!"

Raven blew a kiss at his back. "See you later, sweet cheeks~"

Heat _seared _up Naruto's neck and he _pivoted_ on one heel with such force that he kicked up dust in his wake.

Red widened in surprise as he stormed back to her. Full lips quirked in a smirk, parting to offer some barbed retort or another.

Naruto crushed his mouth against hers before she could speak it. Her lips parted for him with a moan and he slammed her back against the tent's sole wooden beam, kissing her roughly wand with reckless abandon. He pinned her when she struggled; when his passion came howling back, so too did he pour it into her. She bit his lip and in return he utilized every trick he'd learned in the last few hours, hands gliding over her body, lips meeting hers time and again, until she was mewling and _gasping_ for mercy under his grasp. He took her to the edge...

"Absolute...bastard...!"

...and then he pulled away.

Raven's eyes widened in outrage. "Don't you dare!"

"See you later~!" he snapped off a snarky salute as his clones restrained her.

Naruto didn't gloat. That would've been beneath him. Instead he, _reveled_ in the dumbstruck look Raven wore. He carved it into his mind as he stomped away and this time, _this time,_ Raven had no retort for him when he left her to her own devices. Ha! The last word was his. He'd never forgot the startled look on her face. Part of him preened. He'd never speak the words aloud, but it had felt _damned good_ to put the Spring Maiden in her place there at the end.

**"Right, you've got a mean streak when you're angry. Remind me not to piss you off."**

Shame and satisfaction pooled in the blond's stomach as he stormed off, leaving him feeling vaguely ill, yet also strangely satisfied. He'd given in. Lost himself to his own desires. Raven had been the one to tempt him, sure, but in the end he had given in. And yet, his mind had never felt more alive. Troubling, that.

"There you are! I heart shouting." Vernal was quick to jog up to him when he left Raven's tent. "She didn't run?" Almost sounded like she'd expected it, too.

Naruto stalked past her, forcing the girl to hustle just to keep up with him. "Nope. She stayed."

She saw his expression and wrinkled her nose. "Did something happen?"

"Nope." he kept right on walking.

"But it _sounded_ like-

"NOPE."

In his haste to change the subject, he searched for a distraction and found one in the repaired walls. His clones had done good work last night. Under Gregor's watchful eye they'd rebuilt the wooden palisade completely overnight and improved it beside. He wasn't much of a craftsman, but he could see where a good portion of metal wrapped around the walls, strengthening them still further.

All told, the camp looked sturdy, stronger than it had ever been.

"Warchief." Gregor grunted as he drew near. "Your boys did good work. We finished only an hour ago." Silver eyes flicked over them and noted the lack of a certain swordswoman. "What is to be done with the Defeated? I trust she didn't give you too much trouble?"

Something in the way he said _that_ word pricked at Naruto's heart; it was almost too easy to slip back into the facade he'd worn last night. Painfully so. He'd have to watch that. Kakashi had once told him of rogue shinobi who went undercover and lost themselves in their role. He wasn't about to do that.

"Don't cast her out. She's under my protection until I say otherwise." he spoke clearly and firmly, waiting for an argument. It never came.

"Aye, it is your right to claim her as yours." instead he received a grim nod. "She'll give you a strong son."

Naruto felt a sudden surge of heat rise to his cheeks as his earns began to burn all over again. Claim? Son?! He'd said no such thing! He was far, far, _faaaar_ too young to be parent! In desperation, he flicked a look back to Vernal; poor girl looked ill. He didn't blame her.

"That'll be all." he had to force the words through clenched teeth. "Vernal and I will be leaving for a few days. We're taking Raven with us. You're in charge until we return."

"Your will be done." the man slammed a fist against his chest. "We will bring the fight to the enemy wherever we find them."

Naruto spun away quickly, leaving Vernal to trot after him.

"You're not going to have a...a..._kid _with Raven...right?" she gestured crudely.

"Not a chance in hell." he whispered. "I'd sooner feed myself to the Grimm than do that."

"Oh." oddly enough, his remark seemed to soothe the little bandit more than it should've. "Good. We're leaving soon, then?"

"Yup." he mussed her hair, grinning when she scowled and flailed at him. "Soon as Amber and Qrow get here-

A distant whine caught his attention and he craned his neck towards the sound.

_There._

He spied a distant speck of _something _on the horizon, one that grew steadily larger the longer he looked at it. Soon enough he realized it wasn't a bird, but a bullhead. He watched it bob and weave erratically in the air like some inebriated fowl and had a sneaking suspicion about its pilot.

"That's them, yeah?" Vernal tilted her head to follow his gaze. "Your family?"

His first instinct was to deny it, and the second to ask where in blazes she had gotten that idea. Qrow was worse than a drunken sailor half the time, and he'd not made the best impression. Then he thought of Amber, the tears in in her eyes, the small shy smile she'd granted him that night. At least she had a good head on her shoulders, unlike a certain bird!

"Family, huh?" He scratched the back of his head with a smile. "Yeah. Guess she is."

"She?" Vernal didn't get a chance to ask again as the craft began its descent.

The Tribe reacted accordingly of course; women looked up and pointed. Children gasped and asked what the strange metal bird was. Men reached for their weapons. Still more didn't given a damn once they realized it was but a single craft and not a fleet from Haven come to wipe them off the face of the map. Naruto felt a dopey grin spread across his whiskered face. Of course it wasn't. They'd flown clear across Vale to get here.

He wished they would've arrived sooner.

Before the pilot could come in for a proper landing, a lone figure ripped open the plane's doors, leaped into the open air and plummeted toward the ground.

That drew a different sort of attention.

Vernal squawked at his side. "Are they mad?!"

"Wait for it." Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

Despite his own words, he couldn't help but take a step forward. His caution proved unnecessary a moment later as he watched the falling figure right themselves at the last moment. They reared back and slammed into the ground fist-first, bending their knees to absorb the impact of their entrance, kicking up a cloud of earthy dust. Someone clapped in the distance. Naruto joined them. It was an entrance among entrances, a dynamic landing landing that would have made Might Guy proud.

**"And so the best girl returns."** Kurama chipped in.

"Heh." A joyful chuckle slipped past his lips in agreement. "Classic superhero landing. That's just like Amber."

With a rush of hot air the Bullhead touched down in the wake left behind by the Fall Maiden. Naruto took his hand from Vernal's shoulder and strode forward to greet Amber, leaving his -apprentice? Pupil? Student?- to try and make sense of it all as she follow in his happy footsteps. That joy vanished when Amber raised her gaze and stood. Watery eyes found him.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!" the resultant shout nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. "YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAININ' TO DO! RIGHT NOW!"

"Alright, that's fair." The jinchuuriki raised his hands to ward off her anger. "I'm sure you're angry and I'm sorry-oomph?!"

"Whipped." Vernal swung her hand and mimed a cracking sound.

Breath burst from Naruto's lungs as Amber's head slapped into his chest. He found himself instinctively planting one foot in the ground to prevent the excitable girl from bowling him over. His arms settled around her waist and her own came around to clutch his back tightly. Amber burrowed her face deeper into his blazer, uncaring for the scene she made.

"Don't you ever do that again!" He felt a strange dampness on his chest. "I was worried sick! How could you?!"

"Well, its not like I wanted to-

"No!" she smacked his arm weakly. "Not allowed!"

"Eh?" Blue eyes fluttered open and shut in a rapid series of blinks.

"Never. Again." When he looked down angry tears glimmered up at him, fanned by golden flames burning in her eyes. Something him him wilted. She looked so small. Fragile. As if a single harsh word would shatter her completely. He sighed and planted a hand against his forehead.

"Alright." it felt like betraying a part of himself, but he uttered the word anyway, if only for her sake. "I won't run off like that again."

"Hmm!" She granted him a weak smile. "Good. We're partners, right? We have to look out for each other-

"Soooo, you two gonna kiss or what?" a familiar voice called.

Amber seemed to shrink in his arms. "Uncle Qroooow!"

"What? I've got money riding on the two of you."

Naruto felt his face turn crimson, but he thought he hid it well. He wasn't at all surprised to find Qrow Branwen sauntering down the Bullhead's ramp toward them. Gone was the man's selfsame smile, replaced by a look of pure steel. There was a storm brewing there, one he knew he'd have to face if he wanted to continue his journey.

"Who's the runt?" he squinted down at Vernal. "You lost or something, kid?"

_"Die, traitor!"_

Her boot scythed into his shin with an audible crunch. The impact alone made Qrow recoil even with Aura, and left him hopping up and down on one foot.

"Whyyyyyy~?!"

"And who's this?" Amber peeked at her. "She's adorable."

Vernal scowled and wound up for another kick.

"She's...kinda my student." Naruto intervened before she could strike Amber's knee. "Its a long story."

"Yeah, I'm sure its reall interesting. But lets get down to business." Qrow favored them with a black look as he cradled his leg. "How in blazes did you get these bastards to listen to you?"

"Strength." Vernal chirped.

"That's...not the way I'd put it." Naruto muttered.

"Why not?" Little Vernal interjected again with the guilelessness only a child could possess. "Raven brought him here. He didn't like that so he started knocking heads together until she came back. They argued." her arms flailed as though to mime an explosion. "Then they fought each other. He kicked her ass and made her his bitch. Tribe doesn't listen to her anymore 'cuz of that. Easy, right?"

"R-Right." Amber growled. "Easy...

Qrow guffawed. "You didn't tell us about that."

"And you didn't tell me about Salem." Naruto retorted instantly. "Funny how that works."

"What in the...who told you about her? "Qrow hissed as the good mood died a horrible, choking death. "Raven? Nevermind." he shook his head before Naruto could hope to answer. "You're needed back in Beacon. There's been another attack. We only just found out about it on our way here. Its not safe. Ozpin can answers your questions there.

"Beacon sounds like the _worst_ place to be right about now." Naruto disagreed. "I need to go to Haven anyway. I want to use the Relic there."

Amber blinked. "What relic?"

Qrow's face turned ashen. "Rae told you about that, too?! You two can't go to Haven! Absolutely not!"

Naruto pounced on the words. Qrow hadn't said "you two" which seemed to imply that Amber was quite content with visiting Mistral's academy. He wasn't sure why that relieved him so much, only that it did. Raven had already made the less-than-pleasant suggestion that she was working with Ozpin to deceive him. This meant she was blameless in this; unless Qrow was a very good liar. Which he wasn't. Amber looked just as surprised as he felt at the moment.

"You can't stop us." he crossed both arms before his chest and stood his ground. "We're gonna use that Relic, with or without you."

"You're right." Qrow smacked his lips. "I can't stop you. But I _can _warn you. Oz won't be happy about this."

**"And why should we care what some old man thinks?"** Kurama snapped.

Naruto bit back a growl of his own.

"I don't owe Ozpin spit." he slashed a hand through the air between them. "I'm going. With or without your help."

Qrow grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. "He keeps secrets for a reason, you know."

A vein pulsed in Naruto's temple. _"Allies don't keep secrets from each other!"_

Qrow's mouth opened,and clicked shut, hesitant to provoke him any further. Naruto knew why. They'd already fought once before and while it had not been a life or death bout, the old bird _hadn't_ been the one to emerge victorious in that little scuffle. Naruto had deliberately held back the lion's share of his strength in their duel. Now he had Amber at his side, and judging by the way the Fall Maiden was scowling at her precious "uncle", if Qrow tried to stop him now...well. They both knew what would happen.

So the bleary bird chose another path. "I don't like this. I'm calling Oz."

"Qrow, no!" Amber grabbed at his arm. "Don't! He'll overreact!"

Naruto's heart went terribly still. "Listen to her, Qrow."

"Not a chance! I'm putting a stop to-

The blond moved.

Even as Qrow withdrew his Scroll from the pocket of his trousers, he stepped in and launched a kunai at the phone. It flew straight and true, knocking the device from the old bird's hand and causing him to jerk backward in the same moment. Naruto ignored his startled cry; tracking the flailing Scroll with his eyes. The very _second_ it struck the ground he blurred toward it, reared back, and stomped down with all his might. Metal and plastic buckled beneath his boot and the device died with a metallic crunch.

"What was that for?!"

"I'm sorry." No, he wasn't. Not at all. "You were going to ruin everything."

"Listen to yourself!" Qrow flung up a hand. "You don't even know how to use the damn Relic, nevermind-

_"Jinn." _All eyes turned toward the voice as Raven emerged from her tent -thankfully clothed this time!- favoring her right leg as she stalked forward. She limped towards them, red eyes flashing in the afternoon sun. "Her name is Jinn." she clarified once again, much to Qrow's horror. "You'll need to speak the genie's name when you retrieve the Lamp from the vault. There should be at least two questions left."

"Raven...?"

"Vernal, go pack the rest of your things." she barked. "We're leaving."

"Don't have to listen to you." The little bandit huffed and stomped a foot. "Naruto's the boss now, not you."

"Why, Naruto." Raven's smile reminded him of a shark. "How kind of you not to tell me you stole my apprentice out from under me."

"Go on." Naruto reassured her. "We'll still be here when you get back."

Vernal didn't need to be told twice. She skedaddled.

For once in his life, Naruto was actually glad for Raven's interruption, if not the bloody glower she'd levered at him. Qrow's hand had been inching toward Harbinger's hilt for some time now, but the moment he laid eyes on his sister, he froze. His eyes strayed to her leg, flicked back to Naruto, then found her leg again. When Raven moved to stand behind him however, those bleary orbs locked onto the jinchuuriki with the intensity of a heat seeking missile.

"What did you do to her?" he croaked.

By contrast, Amber's reaction proved decidedly more visceral. Now that she'd finally found a chance to get a word in, she looked near vicious with blinding rage.

"You...you...no good filthy kidnapper!" her eyes blazed gold as she rose several inches off the ground. "I should strike you down where you stand!"

"You're more than welcome to try." Raven flashed her a saccharine smile and mirrored the motion. "Finally ready to fight now, are you?"

"No fighting!" Naruto bodily yanked them both down before they could come to blows. "None of that! We're on the same side!"

Raven obeyed easily enough and turned away with a huff. Yet again, Amber proved herself far more stubborn. She jerked out of his grasp and skittered backward as if she'd been burned. The sheer pain behind those hazel eyes hit him like a physical force.

"You're working together?" her fists balled helplessly at her sides. "No. No, that can't be true. Don't tell me she converted you!"

"Of course not!" Naruto countered quickly, causing her eyes to dim. "We've formed a temporary alliance. She's going to open the vault in Haven for us."

"Is _that_ what this is all about?" Qrow bridled. "What's so damn important to you that you're willing to piss Ozpin off?"

"I want to know the truth." he saw no reason to lie. Why should he? "About my home...and what he's hiding. Depending on the answers I receive, I might more questions for the man himself." when that didn't placate the older hunter any, he offered a shrug. "I'm not condemning anyone, and I'm not taking anyone's side...but I need answers. I don't like being left in the dark." A thought occurred to him just then and he rounded on Raven. "Say, what happens when all those questions are used up, anyway?"

The Spring Maiden finally unbent enough to look at him again. "Supposedly the Relic refills itself every hundred years or so."

Qrow whistled, while Amber squeaked in surprise. "Wait, really? That's a thing? Oz never told me about that."

Raven flashed him a pitying look. "He didn't tell you a lot of things, brother.

And Naruto? He all but grinned. That...that was good news. No, more than good news! Great news! He admittedly knew next to nothing about Salem and her intentions, but Raven had all but warned him that this "Queen of the Grimm" wanted to actively collect the relics and use them against humanity. A glorified paperweight wasn't going to do her any good, not when it was stripped of its powers for a century.

"See?" a winning smile lit his face. "Everyone wins. Once its used up, it'll be a worthless hunk of metal. Even if this Salem person gets her hands on it, she won't be able to use it."

"For awhile, sure." Raven touched a finger to her chin. "It'll definitely piss her off."

"And you trust_ him _with a Relic?" Qrow stabbed a finger at Naruto.

"Hey! What's that supposed ta' mean?!"

"More than I trust Ozpin." her smile returned tenfold. "I trust his strength. Besides, he's taking responsibility for his actions. I say give him a chance."

"Eh?" the old bird frowned. "What's this about responsibility now?"

Amber's smile was brittle. "Yes, by all means. Elaborate."

"Raven." Naruto blew out a sigh. "I hate you _so_ much right now. "Can't you just portal us there or something?"

"Can't." She shook her head firmly. "I don't have a bond anywhere near Haven. We'll have to travel the old-fashioned way."

"Then we'll use Amber's ship." Naruto retaliated, mind already whirring as he stalked toward the weathered craft. "C'mon, lets go. We don't have any time to waste." he snapped his fingers when Raven was the only one to follow him. "C'mon! We'll wait for Vernal, but then we're out of here. Chop chop, people!"

"Now hold on just a minute, whiskers!" Qrow shouted at his back. "We're not done here!

"Yes." A blue eye flashed over his shoulder. "We are. You coming or not?"

"Um...can I say something?"

Amber tugged at his sleeve and his resolve nearly came undone.

**"Hear her out."** Kurama chimed. **"Can't you see she's torn up about this?"**

Now that he looked at her, he could see that she was. Her shoulders were trembling. How had he missed that.

"I...I _want _to trust Ozpin," she stood her ground as Naruto looked on and with each passing moment, the wayward shinobi felt himself grow tense, "But I'm with you." her eyes met his. "I trust you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Just like that, an invisible weight fled from his shoulders. Yet she wasn't finished. "You're still you, right?" she gave him a once over, frowning at his new clothes as though he were a different person. "You won't use the questions for anything bad, will you?"

"Nope." he smacked his lips. "Not a chance. You have my word."

"Then I'm going with you." her eyes hardened. "Don't think for a second that I'll stay here."

It was just the sort of thing he'd expected her to say; her smile lit burned away the dread he'd been feeling.

"Thanks." thoughtlessly he closed the distance between them and grasped her hand in his. "I really didn't want to do this without you."

"Don't mention it." Amber threaded her fingers within his hand held tight. "Just...just don't leave, alright? You said we were partners. You promised."

Naruto's heart twisted in his chest. "Yeah. I said that, didn't I? I'll never go back on my word."

Behind his back, Naruto heard Raven whistle. He risked a glance back at her just in time to see Amber flash her an odd look that swore there would be _words _later, but for now she held her tongue. And wasn't that just a conversation he was looking forward to?

"Then I guess we're flying there." Qrow groaned, completely missing the byplay between the three of them. "Someone needs to chaperone you three."

"This from the resident drunkard?" Raven arched a dark brow. "You're the one who needs a chaperone. Not us."

"And that's assuming your Semblance doesn't act up again." Amber seconded.

"Are you even sober right now?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad!"

In defiance of those very words, the Bullhead gave an ominous shudder behind them. All eyes turned toward it with dread, and Naruto finally noticed just how battered the craft really was. Qrow and Amber had pushed the little ship well beyond its limits to make it to Mistral. Portions of the wings were twisted and melted, and the casing looked to have cracked in multiple places. Frankly, it was a miracle the plane had made it here at all. Its smoldering frame looked fit to collapse at any moment. A faintly familiar scent reached his nose.

Naruto paused. Inhaled. Frowned. "Why do I smell smoke?"

Qrow tugged at his collar. "Its probably nothing...?"

The bullhead folded like a house of cards.

Amber made a keening noise.

_"Uncle Qrooooow!_

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. NOTE.**

**A lot of people have been complaining about this, so I felt a need to state the obvious.**

**Naruto isn't whipped by Raven. She has no power over him. What we saw here was a moment of passion and anger; two strangers having a moment together. Nothing more. She has no control over our boy whatsoever, no matter how much she teases him. If you're expecting her to lead him around by the nose, you'll be sorely dissapointed. ****The good 'ol "Talk no Jutsu" may have backfired a bit on Naruto, where Raven's concerned. Really blew up in his face this time around.**

**Bad luck Semblance strikes again! ****Aaaaaand there we are! Hope you enjoyed that. ****I certainly did~!**

**Now I'm sure some folks are going to squawk about the censored lemon, but it had to be done. Sorry about that.**

**Rrest assured, we have a plan in place. She's just as stubborn as Naruto, after all.**

**Really wanted to work on the personal dynamic between Naruto and Amber more, its so rare to see her in a story these days, let alone be given the focus of a main character. Qrow and Raven are all sorts of fun to write as well, -they're just a delightful bundle of contradictions- and then there's madness of Tyrian whom we saw last chapter.**

**For some reason, I write mad/insane characters the best. Not quite sure why.**

**In all honesty, Lionheart is the only character I don't enjoy bringing to life, and the one person I'm not looking forward to writing. Even in the written word, he's an overwhelming coward, and a self-serving one at that. No good filthy traitor.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**Speakin' a which...**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY! **_

**(Previews)**

_"You want to play mad? Fine." Amber growled, eyes burning molten gold. **"Lets be mad."**_

_A fist crashed into Tyrian's face and sent him skipping down the hall. He was still flying through the air when another found him and send him flying in the other direction._

_"Weeeeell!" a giggle greeted him as he clamored upright. "You certainly flew quite a bit there! Lets do that again! I've got a lot of anger to burn off, and you're going to be my punching bag, buster!"_

* * *

_It wasn't the knowledge he wanted._

* * *

_"I'm starting to think there's nothing wrong with a little fear. Fear keeps us alive. You just have to control it."_

* * *

_Winter tapped her foot impatiently._

_Ironwood didn't look up from his Scroll. __"He stood you up, didn't he?"_

_"Permission to speak freely, sir?" she asked.  
_

_"Granted, specialist."_

_"Shut. Up."_

**_R&R~!_**


	9. Long Live the Maidens

**A/N: Looong chapter ahoy! ****PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**As promised, here's the Friday update. Hope everyone likes/reviews, because I feel like death warmed over.**

**Surgery will be on Sunday/Monday. No, no, noooo...I don't want it, I do NOT want it, but I can't deny that I really do need it...**

**Sorry for the delay. Sickness is beating the hell out of me, and surgery's looming on the horizon. Thankfully I've got friends to help me pick up the slack. If the chapter title doesn't make it clear, this is the chapter where we take the dial and crank it up to ELEVEN. The plot, the romance, the twists! To say nothing of THAT scene! Hope you've got your popcorn ready!**

**And now a few quick questions/answers...**

**Q: Please don't tell me you dropped the Winter plot-line. Really enjoyed seeing her temper cause her to make a reckless decision. It kinda made her feel human...**

**A: I haven't dropped it all. In fact, she was meant to appear in this chapter anyway. **

**Q: You're really pulling out all the stops with the romance here, aintcha? Can we hope to see more of it?**

**A: As stated, Naruto's been letting his emotions get the better of him for some time in this story. Given the hell that's been through, coupled with the fact that he's been stumbling from one conflict to another, and well...he was at his absolute lowest point when he was bickering with Raven and recovered afterward.**

**Funny how a good lay can relax a man.**

**Q: So...Naruto and Raven...that happened. They in a relationship now, or what?**

**A: ****Nope. They don't _have_ a relationship at this point. Raven said as much. So did he. It was a casual thing.**

**I cannot overstate this enough; Raven doesn't own Naruto; if anything its the reverse. He owns her. Little miss broody birdie knows he can kick her ass to kingdom come. Which is PRECISELY why she wants to ally herself with him in the first place. Now that she's been outed as Spring, she's looking for a powerful ally that isn't Ozpin. Naruto happened to fit that bill. Its a damn good thing he did; if he hadn't stuck around, there's a chance Raven could have gone to Salem and sold her services. That...would be bad.**

**Q: Does Naruto have a team?**

**A: In a sense, he does, though he's not a part of Beacon at present. You've already seen them. I'm afraid I can't say more than that.**

**Not a lot questions this time around, too ill to answer all of them. I'll let the chapter speak for itself.**

**As ever, I own no quotes, no references, no themes, and certainly no memes. ****They're used for entertainment purposes and laughter alone!**

_"Hello, hello, hello! Oh, its so nice to **finally** meet someone like me." _

_"I'm nothing like you. You're a psychopath."_

_"And you will be, too. Soon."_

_~Banter._

**Long Live the Maidens**

_Tap._

Winter kicked her foot impatiently.

_Tap. Tap._

The noise echoed through the hull of the battleship, a steady sound that would have driven many a man mad. It bounded off the walls, struck the ceiling, hit the floor and kept going. Some of the guards began to twitch; a good number wore vacant expressions, suggesting their minds had long since flown this mortal coil in search of a happier place. And still the noise persisted, growing steadily louder with each passing instant. Yet for all the torture and torment, no one dared to utter a word. To do so would only lead to an icy demise.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

General James Ironwood barely batted an eyelash as he thumbed through the messages on his Scroll. Unlike his men, he remained unaffected. He'd long since grown inured to the unusual spectacle that was Winter losing her temper. For make no mistake, rare though it might be, this WAS the Schnee definition of a tantrum.

It was almost sad, really.

He knew his subordinate was cross; one had but to look at her face to know her emotions. Those pale blue eyes were akin to frigid blocks of ice now, much like her namesake rather than the gentle azure skies. Her mouth was set in a grim line, her posture a touch too stiff for her given profession. The Specialist hadn't uttered so much as a word for hours now, and all their staff knew why.

Winter Schnee did not take rejection well; much less being stood up by a potential date.

Ironically, it hadn't been a part of her mission at all; Naruto had crashed through her barriers and in doing so caught her eye. She'd tried to take what she wanted by force, as Jacques had before her, only for it to blow up in her face. Silly girl. She still had much to learn.

It would be remiss of him to say otherwise.

That was to be expected, he supposed. Despite her age, Winter was in many ways still a child at heart; if only because she hadn't had much of a _childhood_ to begin with. Jacques had battered and berated her at every turn, all but denying her any true chance at a normal life, so much so that she'd joined the military -joined him!- just to escape her father's grasp. Atlas was many things, but it was no place for a little girl. Winter had been forced to grow up fast. Mentally and physically alike.

Considering his scroll anew, he blew out a sigh.

_"Don't leave Vale yet."_ Ozpin's request read. _"I need you here."_

With that request and Naruto haring off in Mistral thanks to Raven's interference, they had little choice left but to wait for his and Amber's return before they could proceed. Assuming Qrow managed to return in one piece without disaster following in his wake. Best be wary of that one's Semblance. Bad luck was a powerful thing in its own right, just as much as its counterpart. Hmm. Now there was a thought. He'd have to introduce him to Clover sometime.

More to the point, he'd be having _words_ with a certain young man when he came back to Bale.

He didn't bear Naruto Uzumaki any ill will of course; nor could it be called his fault. No. He didn't hate Naruto Uzumaki. He simply wanted to talk to him. Loudly. Repeatedly. With his gun. He would recover...probably. The boy had already demonstrated a remarkable healing factor if nothing else. He'd be fine. That wasn't the parent in him talking. Nope. Not at all.

Winter's tapping reached a crescendo, becoming an angry, constant source of noise.

Finally, his tongue betrayed him. "He stood you up, didn't he?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Winter inquired.

His brow quirked. "Granted, specialist...?"

Cold eyes flicked his way. "Shut up."

Ironwood stifled a small smile as he went back to his work. He cared for Winter like the daughter he'd never had, but she really needed to get out more. Even her talks with Fria back in Atlas were an painful, stilted thing. Perhaps that was her upbringing showing through. Winter only knew one way to live. She'd get better in time. It wasn't as if she could get any _worse._

If anything, he found himself amazed Winter had a crush. It was almost too incredible to be true. She hadn't seemed the sort.

"Why choose the boy?" he asked into the silence that followed. "For what its worth, I saw the footage."

Winter's pale face turned scarlet and her eyes swept away. "Is... that an order, sir?"

Ironwood ached an eyebrow.

"I...don't have the words for it." Her eyes swept away and down, seeking refuge in the floor tiles. "He treated me like a person. Not a Schnee, not a solider, but a person. He called me on the carpet for my crap when no one else would. Sir." she added after only a moment's hesitation. "He was brave. Bold. Fearless. I wanted that."

Something hardened in her gaze.

_"And then he vanished without so much as a word."_

James knew he could have left it at that. All he had to do was hold his tongue and the bridge between these two would be burned. Maybe he should have. Yet for some reason he felt the need to defend the boy. No, that wasn't it. Try as he might, his desire for Winter's happiness overrode his instinctive drive to protect her from herself.

...he was going to regret this, wasn't he?"

"To be fair," the general raised a finger, "He was kidnapped by a known criminal. Neither of you could have accounted for something like that. Even Ozpin and I were unprepared."

"That's not...!" Her stance softened as she considered his words. "I suppose you're right. Still, to think that it would be the Spring Maiden ...

"Yes, Amber did well to uncover her identity." Ironwood steepled his fingers, hiding a small smile behind them as his specialist bridled. "Raven Branwen is well known to us, though I expect her loyalties had shifted by now. We'll have to see about offering her sanctuary. Her power needs to be protected."

Winter ground her teeth. James resisted the urge to sigh.

"I _could_ send you after them, you know." he ventured into the silence that followed. "I'm sure they'd appreciate some air support." It might be too late for that, but surely the gesture would mean something. Moreover, it might allow Winter to make a better impression than her last. "If you like, I can have a bullhead prepped in five minutes with a full company of soldiers."

Sure enough, Winter's brow furrowed. "That won't be necessarryy_yyyyyy!"_

Without warning, her words piqued into a startled yelp and her entire body convulsed from head to toe. James shot out of his chair as she pitched forward, collapsing onto her hands and knees. The shaking didn't stop; if anything it only grew worse. A silent, keening gasp forced itself between the specialist's teeth.

"Winter?!" he laid a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "What's wrong? Why did you-"

Glowing blue eyes rose to meet his, brimming with confusion and wild azure flames. Ironwood jerked back, feeling scalded by them. No. No, that wasn't...it shouldn't be possible. It didn't make a lick of sense. Spring and Fall were accounted for, and Summer was a known variable. Their own Maiden was secure in Atlas. And yet Winter was showing all the signs. An ugly pang of dread stirred in him as he beheld a thin film of frost licking at the floor. Only one Maiden held such mastery over ice.

"Sir?" Winter whispered. "What's happening?"

He barely heard her; his mind and Semblance were already whirling to find answers. Fria. It had to be. She'd been in poor health when he'd last seen her, but the doctors had assured him she would make a full recovery by the end of the week. It was all too soon. Too sudden. She must've perished. Be it through old age, accident, or perhaps a more untimely end, she'd passed on. Winter must've been the final woman in her memory, as they'd planned, yet to see her burning eyes, to know that the the torch had been passed...! Had she been killed? Was Atlas under attack? Too many questions. Not enough answers.

The Winter Maiden was dead; long live the New Maiden.

Already, he could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

_Wherever he was, he prayed the boy was having better luck than them._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

The journey to Haven should have been a blur. It wasn't.

Qrow set what he thought was a blistering pace, yet time and time again Amber found herself nearly outrunning him. Naruto proved even worse; if only because she knew how quickly he could move. More than once, she caught him visibly grinding his teeth as he forced himself to slow down and keep pace with them.

She shot him an exasperated look and he shrugged.

It was a rushed, frantic thing, if only because they knew they didn't have the time for anything else. The enemy might learn the truth at any given moment, discover their plans and undo them. So when Naruto began to lengthen his stride, she unknowingly did the same. Within moments they began to break ahead of the group. Qrow growled and tried to keep pace with them, but he had no supernatural powers to rely on, and soon, his stamina began to flag. Raven and Vernal were worse, one for her injuries, and the other her youth.

Amber tried to not begrudge them, she really did. But it was hard.

So hard not to simply cut loose and race to their destination. To their future. Their fate. Why walk when you could run? Better yet, why run when you could fly? There was no need to conceal her power anymore and her gifts _ached _to be used. If the enemy -Salem!- knew who she was, then there was little point in hiding it now.

She didn't even realize they were leaving them behind until someone called out.

"Teacher, slow down!" Vernal whined as she jogged after them. "You're going too fast!"

"Oh, just go ahead already." Qrow stumbled to a halt with a rasp and laid both hands on his knees. "Freaking kids these days. You can see Haven from here. Can't miss it." he pointed to the looming spires in the distance. "Ask for Lionheart when you get there. Raven and me'll catch up with you." he flicked them both an anxious glance. "Just don't do anything stupid, alright?"

Naruto hesitated. "Vernal...

Qrow saw it. "I'll keep an eye on your brat, alright?"

"What?!" said girl sputtered. "No! I don't want anything to do with-

_"Vernal."_

She stiffened. "Yes, teacher?"

"Damnit, I _told_ you not to call me that." A curious flush overtook the blond's whiskered visage, but he mastered himself. "I need you to stay with Qrow for now."

"Why?" she challenged immediately.

"Because I've got a bad feeling about this. C'mon, don't make that face." Even as he said the words Vernal stomped a foot. Thin arms folded before her chest, and an almost mulish expression stole over her face. Naruto was quick with his counter. "I'll teach you a super secret move once this mess is over, alright?"

Just like that, her eyes lit up. "Promise?!"

"Yup." he reached down to tousle her

"Wait." Amber's gaze slid to Raven. "Why can't she come ahead with us?"

"Tch. If you must know," The Spring Maiden grimaced and rolled her right shoulder. "I still haven't fully recovered." even those words seemed to gall her, forced from somewhere deep inside herself. "My aura's still lower than I'd like. I'm at less than half. Not gonna be much use in a fight."

She was lying. She had to be. "Don't be such a coward!"

"I'm not," the warrior huffed at her. "I'm being practical. Right now, I'm vulnerable."

"I don't agree with her," Much to Amber's chagrin, Naruto stepped up beside her. "But she's telling the truth. She isn't at peak strength right now."

"And how do you know that?!"

A blond brow rose. "Because I was the one that beat her black and blue."

Amber flinched at the words, even as Raven preened. They wounded her more than she cared to admit. When had they become so close? Still animosity to be sure, but the pair weren't openly snapping at one another as she expected they might. There were questions there, questions that needed to be asked, but she dare not give voice to them for fear of what answers she might find.

Instead she rounded on her partner. "What makes you so sure?"

"Sixth sense." the blond replied readily, tapping a finger to his skull. "She's not putting out any negative emotions right now."

"See?" Raven cocked one hip in her direction, clear sign of defiance. "If it makes you feel any better, you can't trust me, but you _can _trust me to do what's in my best interests."

Vernal scratched the back of her head. "The hell does that mean?"

"It means she won't run." Qrow muttered. "If she does, she knows her days are numbered."

Raven shot him a scowl. "Don't muddy the waters. I'm working with you lot, and I'm not going to stab you in the back. Isn't that enough."

Naruto clearly didn't trust her and neither did she, but there could be no denying that they needed her. And she needed them. Like it or not they were all in the same boat right now. If the alternative meant Raven going to Salem, or worse, having the Maiden power ripped out of her and given to that _bitch from before_...no. Amber swallowed her dislike and choked down her hatred.

They would work with her. For now. After all, she needed answers, answers only the Lamp could provide-

All at once a sharp, sudden tune pierced the air and ran out among them to startle everyone. Four pairs of eyes rounded on the sound. On her. Amber's gaze dipped to her hip pocket and the vibrating Scroll there. Against her better judgement, she plucked it free and held it aloft. This close to Haven, the signal was there, but patchy all the same..

It still didn't conceal the caller ID.

Raven offered a dark chuckle. "Of course. Its him."

"Its..." Amber swallowed once for courage. "Yeah, its Ozpin."

Qrow swore softly and Naruto hissed out an angry breath. "Don't answer it. Let the bastard stew."

Amber dithered. Should she? He might have a good reason for calling. Fear stayed her hand. Would -could?- he give her the answers she sought? Would he tell the truth? The loyal follower in her wanted to say yes, but the cynic...well, the cynic said otherwise. Ozpin might have a very good reason for keeping such secrets. But those _secrets _had nearly gotten her killed not once, but twice now. Naruto had been kidnapped over them, a fact he had yet to forgive. He was right to want the truth and in all honesty, she wanted the same. Raven had said many things, but they needed to be certain.

And there was only one way to ensure that certainty. One guaranteed method beyond bias, one that could not lie to them.

Ozpin was a good person. There could be no doubt about that. But all these secrets were maddening. They could confront him later once they had the truth and the relic in hand. Once it had been used they could hide it somewhere else, or even seal it back in its vault. Surely he would understand...? At long last, her scroll ceased ringing entirely as the call went to voicemail.

Amber waited for a moment. Then another. Another still. It dinged and went still, signalling the message left behind.

"Well?" Raven mocked. "Aren't you going to listen to what he has to say?"

She flicked it open again and put in on speaker.

_"Hello, Amber."_ Ozpin's words rang through to be heard by them all. _"I'm worried for your safety. I've tried to call Qrow and Naruto, but they haven't responded. I'm afraid something might have happened to them, that they might have been led astray."_ a weighty pause followed as he seemed to gather his thoughts. _"If you can hear this...then...well."_ a deep breath followed. _"I'm sure Raven has told you a great many things about me. About Salem. Some of what she says is true. I've made mistakes. I'll be the first to admit that. More mistakes than any man, woman or child alive. Please, do not think less of me for them."_

The five of them exchanged a glance.

_"All I ask is that you give me the chance to defend myself." _

"More words." Raven growled. "More lies. Don't trust the snake."

_"This is what Salem wants."_ the headmaster's voice continued heedless of her word, breaking at last. _"She seeks to divide us all, to conquer Remnant while we squabble with one another. Moreover, the Maiden in Atlas has perished under mysterious circumstances; James suspects foul play at hand, and I'm inclined to agree with him. By some miracle, Winter is now in possession of her power, so we've managed to avert a crisis on that front. However, there's a chance you and Raven may be targeted as well. I think it certain that the two you will come under attack. **She** likely has her agents in Mistral already."_

A commotion in the background muffled his words for a moment as he spoke to someone off-screen_._

_"You must listen to me." _his voice grew louder, and she had the impression he was leaning closer to his scroll, begging, pleading with her._ "It is imperative that you return to Vale immediately with Raven. Please, call me if you receive this message. We're stronger together, Amber. Don't let Salem tear everything apart."_

With a supreme effort of will, Amber silenced the Scroll and closed it down.

Was this all a part of Salem's grand plan? It was a sobering thought.

She turned to find varying expressions waiting her.

"Not a bad speech." Raven drawled. "He sounded sincere." she turned her head and spat. "Then again, he's always been a good actor. Although, I'm surprised. I don't think he knows we intend to use the Lamp. He would have said something otherwise."

"So the Schnee's a maiden now." Qrow wore a sour look of his own. "Great. She's never gonna let me live this down."

Little Vernal offered a helpless shrug. "I really didn't understand any of that."

"Naruto?" Amber ventured weakly. "What do you think about all this?"

The shinobi flicked her a wary look, one Amber found herself mirroring. His blue eyes were sharp, not angry, but not calm either. Whatever thoughts he felt, he kept close to his chest. He would have his answers, and then confront Ozpin on them. But only after he had the Relic. If it came to a fight between the two of them, she knew who would win. The outcome had never been in doubt. Well. That did it. She was locked in now. Best not to think about it. They were on the clock.

"I think we continue as we have been." His response only solidified her belief. "We'll use the Relic first, then question him. If he tells the truth, great. But if he lies...

Amber fought down a pang of dread. "What will you do?"

...I'm not sure." rather than answer properly, he offered her his hand instead. "But whatever happens, we'll do it together, yeah?"

Amber felt her traitorous heart skip a beat as heat rose in her cheeks. Hers hands flew out to clasp his fingers in her own. Even after all this, he still refused to forsake her. What might have once fractured their friendship only left it stronger than ever before. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She could die in this very moment and she would be at peace.

In the end, she forced herself to pull away and speak before Naruto could question her. "Race you to Haven?"

Azure orbs narrowed to thin slits. "You sure about that?"

Was she?! No! Not at all! Her mind was whirling, her beliefs crumbling, her very world falling apart around her. She didn't want to think about this. Any of it. Too much, too soon. Ozpin had pleaded with her, and a part of her wanted nothing more than to go back to Vale, climb into bed, and pretend none of this had happened. A single seed of knowledge held her back. Naruto was going to Haven. With or without her. He'd already made his views abundantly clear. One way or another he would pry the Relic from the vault and ask his questions. She could be there when he did...or doubt herself forever.

She was done doubting herself.

"What's wrong?" Amber wore a shaky smile she didn't feel as she planted a hand on her hip. "Afraid you can't keep up?"

"No," he needled, more than happy to distract her. "Just afraid of leaving you in the dust. Again."

"We'll make a wager of it, then." Amber bit out the words.

Naruto saw the chance for what it was and pounced upon it. "Sure, why not. What're we betting? Food? Money?"

"Time." The Fall Maiden held up a singe finger. "Loser has to do whatever the winner says. For a day!" she amended hastily when she beheld his incredulous expression. "How's that sound?"

Naruto jammed both hands into his pockets. "Not much of a bet, since I know I'm gonna win."

Amber marshaled her faltering willpower and clenched her fists at her sides.

"Then we'll sweeten the pot." she spat.

An eyebrow arched. "How so?"

_"A date."_

His other brow rose to join it.

"Huh." he muttered. "Never been on one of those before." thankfully, he was wise enough not to make mention of what Winter had all but blackmailed him into. Even then, she still expected a denial. It was a foolish wish of hers, a girl's wish, one she thought would be denied. "Alright, I'm game."

The words floored her.

Amber felt her eyes burn with a pulse of flame. Yes! Victory! A petty little thrill of pride shot through her. Just like that she'd gone and one-upped that silly Schnee. Her rival was probably already displeased at being blown off -ironic, given she had Raven to thank for that- but this was the cherry atop the proverbial cake. Ohhh, this would leave Winter seething. Call it courtship, call it cruelty, but she'd made up her mind. She craved the calm and safety he gave her; craved it more than the very air in her lungs.

She fully intended to have Naruto as her husband someday.

Forget being partners, she could see herself spending the rest of her life with him; after all, he understood her in a way few could. Even this good-natured jabbing felt friendly.

_He will be mine._

"Who will?" Qrow spoke into the silence.

Amber's face flamed for a different reason. Oh gods, she'd said that aloud! No, no, no! Not like this!

"Kids these days, just get a room, will ya?"

Raven rolled her eyes as well. "Teenagers, the both of you. Stop flirting and fuck already. This is nauseating."

A chorus of shouts went up.

_"Ray!"_

_"Seriously?!"_

_"Did you have to say that?!"_

Vernal made a series of gagging noises.

"A-Anyway!" Amber's retreat turned into a full blown rout as she backed away. "We're leaving! Right now!"

Naruto dropped into a runner's crouch. Amber mirrored him.

"Ready?" he hissed out.

"Set." she snarled, eager to be gone.

"GO!" Naruto whooped loudly and _burned_ gold.

A thunderclap rattled the world and he was gone, leaving everyone's ears ringing. All that remained of him was a trail of burning saffron flames road in his wake, scorching the road. As she looked on aghast, a fresh line of burning fire scorched its way up the path and into the distance. Amber felt her eyes widen.

"Hey!" She took flight and shot after him with a yelp. "No fair!"

There was something glorious about using her powers to fly; if anything, her Semblance made it even easier. All told, she felt good. Weightless. Free. Better than she had any right to. The wind in her hair, gravity losing its stubborn hold of her, all the world a blur below. In moments Qrow and the rest were long behind her. She knew Raven would catch up. Bloody woman probably had a portal to Naruto now. She wouldn't put it past her; fate just seemed intent to screw her these days.

But even wit power, she couldn't keep up.

Naruto was fast. Almost ridiculously so. She saw him as little more than a golden speck on the horizon; already halfway to the city and and Haven within. Red eyes flashed up at her from below and she caught the grin on her face. She poured on a burst of speed, flames howling from her hands as she sought to close the distance between the two of them. He slowed, just a pace. Just a hair.

Then he sped away and quite suddenly, it was like trying to chase a storm.

They raced through fields, vaulted over fences, lunged across streets.

In hindsight, Amber wasn't sure who started laughing first. It could have been her. It might have been him. Looking back, she really wasn't sure. It burst out of her in a joyous gasp, little tiny giggles fleeing from her as they chased one another. He always seemed so close, just out of reach, yet she wasnt able to overtake him. Rather than frustrated her, she found herself enjoying the chase; if only because it distracted her from everything else. It made her feel normal again. This was what life felt like. She never wanted to let it go.

Eventually, they arrived.

She didn't even remember cresting the walls of Mistral, much less arriving at Haven itself, nor the ungodly commotion left in their wake. One moment they were without, the next they were quite suddenly _within and their chase came to a smashing end. Literally._

_"And...done!"_

Naruto's back slammed against a wall. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated, skin slick with sweat. Amber could only imagine how _she_ must look; cheeks flushed, bosom heaving with heavy breaths. She was more winded than he was and it likely showed. For all her pride and power she wasn't much used to a full on spring through the countryside, nevermind the speed they'd been going.

"You alright?"

"Just a little tired," she hummed, pushing herself upright.

He stepped in to help and without thinking, she leaned against him. His hands caught her. Steadied her. Gave her strength. Thoughtlessly she stepped into him, staggering them a little. The wayward ninja pivoted to hold her up and catch her again; his hands settled against her hips with gentle strength. It felt like they belonged there.

"Who won?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Amber blinked away the haze with an effort. "Huh?"

She didn't know and she said as much. Neither of them had paid any attention to their arrival. They'd been having too much fun to notice, and if she was with herself, care. Her instincts stirred again. This felt good. It felt safe. It felt right. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

"I don't know." she admitted.

Amber looked up and her throat went dry.

"What's wrong?" he blinked. "Why're ya lookin' at me like that?"

Why was she hesitating?! Uncle Qrow had made a painful point earlier. Even Raven, absolute bitch though she was, had spoken the truth. She'd never kissed a boy before. She'd never done that with...well, anyone. Her power had always kept everyone away. Or perhaps it was Ozpin, keeping her safe. Who could say? She didn't begrudge the headmaster for it here; her mind was already elsewhere.

_She wanted to kiss Naruto_

Her already dry throat turned absolutely arid at the thought. Amber licked her lips and swallowed, then coughed, desperately trying to bring some much-needed moisture to her mouth. Focus! Now wasn't the time for this at all. They had a mission to complete. She couldn't let herself grow distracted, lest she...she...what was she worried about again?

_Damn, you're thirsty._ A tiny, naughty voice cooed in the back of her head._ Just take him already._

Amber turned nearly incandescent._ No!_ she wailed._ Its not like that!_

_"Isn't it?_ the voice came on again. You're lusting after him like a bitch in heat. Make your move or move on. You owe it to yourself to be honest with him."

Didn't she?

If the alternative meant letting Winter or gods forbid, Raven have him? That tore it. In the back of her head, the very last thread of restraint snapped with an audible twang. Naruto looked like he wanted to say something, perhaps question her at the very least, and that made it even worse. She was so very tired of talking; of dancing around this like some lovestruck girl.

"Naruto."

"Hmm?" he blinked.

She stepped forward. "Don't move."

_Amber pushed herself up on the very tips of her toes and kissed him._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Naruto wasn't sure what to expect when Amber's eyes began to burn._

Oh, he knew she was emotional at the moment and he couldn't much blame her for it.

Even so, he still didn't expect the kiss. Even if he'd been forewarned about it, he still wouldn't have moved in time.

She trembled in his arms, pushed herself up on the very tips of her toes, and pressed her lips to his. Naruto sucked in a sharp breath. Stars -entire galaxies!- burst through his mind. His breath hitched and he was sure he heard Kurama say something to him, but everything suddenly seemed muted somehow. Faded. Distant. His very being tensed, but she made no effort to follow-up her actions. She simply stood there, heat tilted just so, a quiet, forlorn girl pressing herselfiinto his arms.

Winter had been cold and angry. Raven, fire and passion. By contrast, Amber was gentle. Hesitant. Almost afraid.

Her mouth was warm and soft against his, tasting faintly of vanilla and cherries. Her body welded against his like she belonged there. Her hips fit against his as she twined one leg with his; not to prevent him from getting away, but merely so she could pull herself closer to him.

_He wanted more._

Something awoke inside Naruto all over again, but with a supreme effort of will he held himself back and pulled away. Amber made a tiny noise of disappointment when he did so. It almost sounded like a moan-_gah! Bad brain! Full stop! Proper thoughts!_

"Why did you stop?" her words were a whine, one that nearly broke him.

"Didn't want to take advantage of you." he drawled. And there it was, the honest, unvarnished truth.

"Advan-you dolt!" Her eyes pulsed with living flame as she slapped his chest. "I was the one to kiss you. Please._ Try."_

What was the saying? Third time's the charm? It was exactly what he needed. She came alive in his arms, surging up to fling her own around his neck and link them together even as she angled her head to allow him better access. Belatedly he realized he was having difficulty holding her. Her body shifted against his, trying to squirm closer, but something kept pulling it away. He soon saw why.

"Amber."

"Hmm?" she blinked.

He pointed. "You're floating."

She looked down and her dark face turned darker still; she was hovering a good inch or so off the ground. Enough to be aware of, but scarcely be seen. He wouldn't have noticed it at all if he weren't holding her. Was this her Semblance, or merely her powers playing up? He stumbled back as she slammed her head into his shoulder, grabbed him by the face, then drew him back to her. Her mouth closed on his again and this time there was passion.

Fire burned through Naruto's veins as she tilted her head against him, angling for a better kiss. She was as nervous as he, but made up for it with sheer tenacity. Every kiss hastened the beat of his heart, every touch was like searing ice in his vens. Her fingers dug into his back as she hooked one leg around his waist, his fingers sweeping down to support her rear and her weight with it.

"Um, excuse me?" someone called out to them. "Might I have a moment of your time...?

"No." Naruto ignored them with a growl as he pulled her close. "Not now."

Amber flung a lazy arm in that direction. "Go away."

"I'm afraid I must insist...

With a long suffering sigh, the pair parted. Well, Naruto tried to part. Amber latched onto his hand as she drifted back down to the ground, and he didn't have the heart to make her let go. Her fingers threaded perfectly in his, and he fought down a sudden rush of warmth.

That warmth faded somewhat when he saw their would-be-voyeur lingering only a few paces away,

Leonoardo Lionheart stood before them, fretfully winging his hands together.

"You must be Naruto. _Might I ask what you're doing here...?"_

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_"Really, this is most irregular."_

A brief explanation later found the three of them in the Headmaster's office.

All told, it rather reminded Naruto of the room Tsunade once used for her own duties as Hokage, albeit lined with bookshelves and other knick-knacks. Gently sloped windows filtered morning sunlight in the room, lending it an orangesque glow. Really, it was a homely little place, homely little area.

There was something off about the whole thing.

Naruto had never met Lionheart before. Never even knew the man. And yet he couldn't quite bring himself to relax in his presence.. For all his gregarious laughter and jovial smiles, the man radiated fear on almost primal level. He'd offered them tea. Naruto refused to drink it, and perhaps sensing his distrust, she hadn't either.

"Where are all the hunters?" Amber remarked suddenly. "I haven't seen one since we got here. Only a few students."

"Well, they're quite busy, as I'm sure you can imagine." nervous laughter greeted them. "Grimm to kill, civilians to protect, that sort of thing. Many of the students themselves are away on holiday and only a few remain in the dorms." he tapped a tan knuckles against his desk. "Rest assured, its usually quite busy here."

Kurama hissed out a breath. **"He's lying."**

_'I know.'_

Even after all this time, he could still sense negative emotions. If anything his time in Remnant had only served to sharpen this strange sixth sense of his. Leonardo Lionheart was a man who projected confidence, but felt none of it. His smile was as brittle as glass. This was a fearful man, terrified really, but not of them.

Who, then? What was he so afraid of?

He had a bad feeling about this; just like that, his guard went and a dozen walls slammed into place within his mind. Were they being setup? Was he being paranoid? Not, it didn't feel like it. And yet this strange feeling of dread hounded him without end. An idea dawned. While he had no way to warn Amber without revealing himself, there was a way to confirm his suspicions...assuming it didn't blow up in his face.

And he was so very tried of dancing around this. "We need the Lamp."

Leo's fear spiked tenfold, followed by a cold thread of anger directed solely at him. Naruto fought down a bitter smile. Well. That confirmed it. Whoever this man was, he clearly couldn't be trusted. Was he a traitor? Could be. Might not. His heart didn't want to believe it, but his senses hadn't let him down yet. He suspected Leo would refuse them before the words even left his mouth. If the man allowed them use of the Lamp without issue, then there wouldn't be any problem. But if he refused...

"That's out of the question." Ohhh, he tried to sound stern, but the fear he felt all but cut the legs out from under it. "I cannot simply give you the Relic-

"We weren't asking." He slammed both hands on the desk and leaned forward. "Ozpin knows all about this." Now it was his turn to lie, and he weaved a tall tale all its own. "The Spring Maiden's already on here way here to open the vault. We'll use it, ask our questions, and then we'll be on our way."

Lionheart's face twisted. "Spring has been found...?"

Was she missing in the first place? Nevermind. He went with it. "Yup. She's on her way with Qrow. We were sent ahead to tell you."

"I...I see." the headmaster all but gulped, tugging at his collar. "Has he done it, then? Does Ozpin have a way to defeat Salem once and for all?"

But Salem couldn't be destroyed now, could she. Raven had said as much. A dozen alarm bells went off in the back of Naruto's head. He pushed through them all. The more he learned, the less of this he liked. Lionheart had gone from "untrustworthy" to "dangerous" in his mind. Fearful men did foolish things

"He does." Amber leaned over beside him and made the lie all the more convincing. "We're talking to you now as a courtesy, nothing more."

Lionheart sagged in his chair, shoulders slumping. A strange resignation came over him. It left Naruto even more wary than before.

"Yes," he muttered to himself, "Yes, I suppose it makes sense that he would send the two of you ahead to secure the Relic." straightening, he rose from his chair and stood to his full towering heigh. Naruto couldn't help but notice that the man had his weapon there on his desk. Leonardo donned it now, securing the strange device to his wrist. "I'll...take you to the statue."

Amber preened, blissfully unaware of it. "You'd best."

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Where had he gone wrong?

On a certain level, Ozpin knew as he regarded his still-silent Scroll. He'd kept too many secrets, held his cards too close to his chest. Something was bound to backfire sooner or later. It often did, and had in many a past life. But he kept some matters silent for a reason. Knowledge is a terrible thing, and more often than not it broke the minds of men.

He laid his scroll down on his desk and stood. Paced to the window.

Alone in his tower, the lonely immortal watched the coming storm behind the glass. Thick black clouds roiled

They were going to use the Lamp. He couldn't say how or why he knew, only that he did. It was the only path they could take now.

He could have called Leonardo to delay them, could have flown to Mistral himself. Tried to stop them at the very least. But didn't, and hadn't. Instead he'd held himself back, merely reaching out through repeated phone calls. Any attempt at subterfuge on his part would be taken poorly, if not by Naruto, then Amber certainly. Those two had endured much. Too much, some might say. If he were to lie them now, if he attempted to spin a web of half truths before them, they would break away and all would be lost.

It was a risky gambit. If the Spring Maiden was secure and the questions used, then Salem would be forestalled another hundred years.

But if they weren't...

Ozpin shook his head, sighed, pulled a thermos from his belt, and drank. Whiskey burned the back of his throat. He suspected he'd need more before this day was done. Salem was moving. The death of the Winter Maiden was merely a portent of the times. That left Naruto connect to not one, not two, but THREE Maidens. Who could say how Winter might react to such an awful truth? Naruto had ingratiated himself in the minds of many and to remove him now would spell disaster.

He bore the boy no ill will of course. He would learn the truth, and then he would come here.

He would have questions, and Ozpin had long ago resolved himself to answer them all. For that boy was the key.

Regardless of the outcome, there would be a reckoning. Would they be allies after this? Enemies? He wasn't sure. He did not relish the idea of losing Qrow, much less a maiden, but he relished the idea of dying even less. Naruto had proven his skill in combat and he wasn't sure he could face him in a fair fight. Even an _unfair _one almost guaranteed his defeat. That boy held incredible power. If used fro the wrong purpose...no.

Time would tell.

A peal of thunder boomed outside.

Ozpin raised his mug to lips and took a long drink. "So it begins."

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Something was wrong.

Naruto couldn't put his finger on it, but he'd been feeling restless for the last five minutes as Lionheart lead them through the halls. His senses were sharp as ever, and he was _almost_ certain of their safety, but even then he couldn't quite bring himself to relax. He grit his teeth and tried to shake the strange feeling of dread away, to no avail. The boy in him wanted to trust. Wanted to believe. They were safe here in Haven. No one was going to turn on them. There would be no ambush here, no betrayals, no surprises. The cynic said otherwise.

Something clicked in the back of his brain. Wait. Surprises?

When they'd met, Lionheart had known his name. Before he'd even given it. He'd ignored it at the time, thought it a slip of the tongue, or that Ozpin had mentioned him.

He hadn't.

Blue eyes narrowed in realization.

Not a moment later, his senses told him what he already knew. Damnit. He hated being right.

The foyer was a wide and grand thing indeed; not an enclosed space this, but a wide open area, with multiple levels, decked in the colors of brown and green. Looked downright earthy, really. I twas the statue in the center of the room that caught Naruto's eye, however. That thing had to have a purpose. Was the vault there? Beneath it somehow? His mind whirled, trying to find an answer. It stopped when he saw the two figures flanking said statue.

**"Why am I not surprised?"**

One was an absolute brute of a man clad in a green coat. From him, Naruto felt nothing but stoic anger. His companion was another matter. Though he wore a brown jacket, one could glimpse strange white clothes lurking beneath. As they approached, he flung it aside and began bounding on the balls of his feet. Manic glee pervaded the air, enough to leave his senses physically ill.

"Wait. I know that man." Amber hissed out a breath and slowed. Naruto mirrored the motion.

To his credit, Lionheart tried to spin the situation.

"Never fear, these are...associates of mine." the man began, "They're here to guard the relic, nothing more-

"Stop lying!" she rounded on him. "That's Tyrian Callows! He's a murderer!"

The man flinched as the words slapped him in the face.

"Oh, joy of joys!" the one in white clapped like a giddy child. "And who might you be?!"

"Naruto...and right back at you." with a long suffering sigh, the ninja tensed his shoulders. "Whoever you are, whatever you want, we're not here to fight."

"Why friend, my name is Tyrian!" much to his dismay, the madman giggled and sketched a shallow bow, stinger sweeping behind his back. "And I'm afraid that is not possible. You see, my assignment from her Grace was to seek out a young man matching your description and retrieve them...so that is what I must do." his grin grew as he straightened. "One does not upset the queen."

"Queen?" Amber hissed at his side.

"Great. Someone else wants to meet me." Naruto growled back, Can't you all just bugger off?!"

"I'm afraid not." the giant in green spoke at last. "Surrender the Maiden."

Amber bristled behind him, keeping one eye on Lionheart. Oddly enough, the man didn't make a move. To the untrained eye, he seemed almost defeated.

"I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?"

Behind them, the air rippled.

Naruto all but grinned.

"Sure. Why not."

A crimson blade parted the air where the madmen stood as Raven came hurtling through with Qrow at her back. The giant saw her coming and threw himself clear. He caught a lightning bolt to the chest for it and hurtled across the room. Qrow gave chase with a roar. His companion made no such effort as the Spring Maiden closed with him. Her blade would've taken his head, if the madman's body hadn't contorted at an impossible angle and ducked at the last moment. Twin blades flicked out, locking against her sword.

"As I live and breathe! Raven Branwen!" he cackled, bounding back to his feet. "A true huntress has entered the fray. I didn't realize this was _your_ territory."

"He's mine. Hands off."

"Oi!" Naruto squawked. "I don't belong to anyone!"

"No." Something flickered behind them. "You don't goodbye."

Amber yelped. And the world exploded.

Naruto was ready for it. The moment he felt Lionheart's ill intent, he yanked his partner into him and wrapped them both in a shimmering shroud of golden chakra. Heat and flames washed harmlessly over his shoulders, leaving him untouched. Smoke filled the air. A blood-red iris peeked over his shoulder.

_"That...was a mistake."_

"What are you?" Leonardo lowered his arm, eyes wide. The headmaster -TRAITOR!- paled and shrank back. "No, wait! I can explain-

Naruto's fist thundered into his jaw, bringing with it the wrath of Mistral's fallen huntsmen. The cowardly lion never stood a chance. He didn't stumble across the room. He flew. His body struck a wall, left a decidedly man shaped impression behind, and crashed facefirst into the floor lolled limply to the side. He did not rise again.

"No, he growled, lowering his arm. "You can't."

"Oooh!" Tyrian offered a mad giggle as he clapped his hands. "How delightful! I call dibs on the boy!"

Hazel blocked his advance with a large forearm. "No. You take the Maidens. The boy is mine."

"Party-pooper!"

Naruto looked left. Naruto looked right. Naruto sighed.

"Qrow! Raven!" He raised his voice, briefly bringing the combat to a lull. "Get the Relic! We'll handle them!"

He crossed his fingers and reveled in the brief look of confusion everyone wore. He'd never get tired of that. The urge to simply flood the room with shadow clones and swarm their enemies was almost overpowering. But that wouldn't be enough. That wouldn't satisfy him. Instead he flung three at Hazel and three more at Tyrian. The copies died almost instantly, but their purpose was served. They weren't meant to fight. They were simple distractions, nothing more.

Everyone separated and the world turned to a blur.

He didn't look to see if his shout was followed; instead, he lunged at Hazel.

Amber shot toward the ceiling, eyes blazing. Tyrian climbed up after her, leaving them to one another.

"You want to play mad? Fine." Amber growled, eyes burning molten gold as she dove down after him. **"Lets be mad."**

A fist crashed into Tyrian's face and sent him skipping down the hall. He was still flying through the air when another found him and send him flying in the other direction.

"Weeeeell!" a giggle greeted him as he clamored upright. "You certainly flew quite a bit there! Lets do that again! I've got a lot of anger to burn off, and you're going to be my punching bag, buster!"

Baleful red eyes bled back into blue as Naruto released his cloak.

"Why do this? We're not enemies."

"You serve Ozpin." the giant reared back and jammed a dust crystal into his arm. "That's enough."

"I don't work for him, ya big oaf!"

Hazel's muscles began to writhe and twist beneath his jacket, growing to grotesque proportions. The giant stabbed his hands into his belt and a second crystal joined the first. Followed by a third. Fourth. Fifth. With each injection his body warped and twisted, taking on an almost crimson hue. Naruto looked up. Up. Up again, as the man continued to grow.

Kurama swore as Hazel's shadow engulfed them.** "That...might be a problem."**

And still he continued to contort, his body writhing as arcs of fire and lightning crawled across his bristling shoulders.

"We were told of your strength." even Hazel's voice had deepened now, a great base undertone that rattled the very floor. "You will not find me wanting."

He moved with a speed that bellied his new size and slammed a punch at his face. Naruto evaded with ease, sweeping to the side before those crackling fingers could make their mark. Was that it? Bastard might be big, but he wasn't going to hit him like tha-

He did not dodge the current that chased after Hazel's fist.

"Aaargh!"

Electricity slammed into him and every muscle clamped down, forcing him to one knee. His world burned white as blood vessels burst in his eyes, staining the sclera scarlet. Hazel pounced and decked him in his moment of weakness, nearly laying him out on the floor. Anyone else would've been finished, surely. A lone tooth whistled into the air as Kurama blunted the pain and forced him to focus.

"Alright." Naruto wheezed smoke. "Shoulda seen that one coming. My turn, now."

Hazel struck again, and this time he struck back, ignoring the pain. His first punch slammed the growling giant into the ground. A second pinned him there.

"Just stop moving already!"

Hazel jammed a sixth crystal into his thigh and flung him off.

"Your efforts are in vain." he informed him briskly, growing once more. "I cannot feel pain."

Rhymes aside, the realization alarmed Naruto. Something cold and hard coalesced deep inside him. He'd held back against Cinder and her minions. What had that earned him? Nothing but misery and pain. Restraining the lion's share of his strength here was going to get him killed. No more. Not one more. Mercy meant nothing to these men. They were monsters.

Somewhere behind him, Amber cried out in pain. He dare not look away to check on her.

Instead, he crossed his fingers. "Shadow clone-

Hazel thundered forward, forcing him to abandon the jutsu and block. Pain thundered down his arms as he caught the blow.

"I don't need you to feel pain." he warned. "I just need you to go DOWN!"

This time he didn't hold back.

Hazel came in again and he met him halfway with a roar. As ever he led with a right hook; it proved to be his downfall. Naruto caught his arm, gritting his teeth as sparks coursed through him again. He was prepared for it and the pain that followed.

"Neat trick." he grinned against the current arcing through his teeth. "Let me show you one of mine."

Gritting his aching teeth, he dragged Hazel's arm down and slammed an elbow into muscle. Aura crackled. Flesh and bone gave with an ominous crack. Naruto struck again, and the arm striving against him went limp as he found his proper target. Hazel grunted in surprise, but he didn't scream. Wide eyes regarded the spike of white bone jutting out of his wrist.

With an ugly crack, he pushed it back in.

"Last chance." Naruto warned as he settled back into a stance. "Stay down, or I swear by all that is holy, I will put you down."

Hazel straightened slowly. "You would murder a man in cold blood?"

Naruto fought down a flinch. His conscience protested...

"A man? No. I wouldn't kill a man."

...until he murdered it.

"Ah, but **you?"** Blue eyes gleamed gold, then red as he ceded control to Kurama. **"You're not a man. You're a pig. Let me hear you squeal."**

He blurred into the giant's guard, one arm swept back to strike.

Hazel squinted as he heard a faint keening noise.

_It was the last sound he'd ever hear. _

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. NOTE.**

**As ever, reviews keep me going in this dark time; they're all I have, sad as it sounds.**

**Fight continues next chapter. Now if you'll excuse me, I feel like shite, so I'm just gonna go cry in a corner until I feel better.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**Speakin' a which...**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY! **_

**(Previews)**

_Ah, freedom at last. And it wasn't the man of many face who had released her._

_"Jinn!" her new owner boomed! "I summon you! Answer my questions!"_

_Well, well, well. A small smile curled her pale blue lips._

_"As you wish..._

* * *

_Their group toppled out of the portal in a mess of tangled limbs._

_Taiyang looked up from his book._

_...what the actual hell."_

* * *

_"Start. Talking."_

_Ozpin raised his hands in surrender. "Very well..._

* * *

_"What's with this kid and romancing Maidens?! Is the freakin' Summer one gonna pop up next?!"_

* * *

_Neo offered a cheery little wave._

**_R&R~!_**


	10. If You Could Have One Wish

**A/N: Looong chapter ahoy! ****PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**EDIT: Holy crap that new episode! 0_0**

**Just an FYI, I'm insanely busy at the moment, but I wanted to ask you all a question. Would you like a Christmas update? Said update will be a bit of a surprise, but I want to test the waters before I commit myself to that. That said, I CAN promise an update for Sunday at the very least.**

**Schedule's in a bit of a flux right now, so I'm doing what I can.**

**Yessssss, now I can finally write the chapter I want. Needless to say, I've been holding the good bits back until this moment.**

**Now then, onto your questions!**

**Q: Are about to see Kurama fight? Wait, let me rephrase. Is he going to fight using Naruto's body? He took over last chapter!**

**A: Well. Let's put it this way. They're both furious right now. ****Kurama's a bloody demon fox, people. He's freaking terrifying to his enemies.**

**Q: FINALLY! A Naruto with a code who doesn't balk at killing enemies! Please don't make him the wuss he was before!**

**A: Naruto's shift in morals isn't as drastic as one might thing. He still the same affable blond at heart, but he's begun to realize mercy may be misguided in a fight. Some enemies need to be put down; else, they won't stop until they destroy everything you love. He already regrets not killing Cinder and her cronies when he had a chance, but remember, he was exhausted at the time. Now, should he meet them again...well. Lets just say he's eager to correct his mistake.**

**Q: What questions will be asked of Jinn?**

**A: *zips lips***

**Q: Isn't Ozpin being a bit too passive here?**

**A: Ozpin is a great deal more at ease in story for several reasons. One: Beacon hasn't fallen. Two: Amber hasn't had half her power stolen. Three. He's got a powerful new ally. **

**He's not throwing Naruto under the bus. If anything he trusts him implicitly; because he sees him as a way out of the war with Salem.**

**Remember, he doesn't NEED to beat Salem this generation. Whenever he dies, he'll just reincarnate. And as we know, he'll go straight to Oscar. He'll just wait until the next, until his position is more fortified. With so many maidens known, and the chance for powerful offspring a very real thing, he feels no need to press Salem at the moment. More worryingly, he's strangely fixated on just**** how powerful the child of a Jinchuuriki and a Maiden might be...**

**He can play the long game.**

**What might he do if he realizes SEALING is a thing? Theoretically, one could seal Salem away and launch her into space. ****Naruto doesn't know how to do such a thing yet, but that's not to say he can't learn, given time.****Hmm. Now that I think about it, just launching Salem into space would work in general. Out of orbit preferably. WHY HAS NO ONE DONE THIS?!**

**Q: You know, call me crazy, but I thought Salem would have thrown all her forces at Naruto and Amber the moment she received Cinder's report. Together, they're a very real threat.**

**A: Simply put, she didn't have time to. Tyrian and Hazel were nearby, so she sent them instead. ****Ask yourself this. Where, oh where are Watts and Cinder? We know the latter survived her fight with Naruto. Nevermind that, where are Mercury and Emerald? And why, oh why, did the Winter Maiden suddenly expire, thereby causing Winter to inherit the power? So many questions.**

**I could tell you, of course...but that would spoil the next arc. We don't want that now, do we?**

**As ever, I own no quotes, no references, no themes, and certainly no memes. **

**They're used for entertainment purposes and laughter alone!**

_"Tell me the truth."_

_~?_

**If You Could Have One Wish**

_Her teacher was a god._

That was the only title little Vernal could think to give Naruto as she watched him beat Hazel to death. Not halfway dead. Not within an inch of. Teacher was going to kill him. There could be no doubt about that. Not with the way he was fighting. Every strike was made with the intent to cripple. Every blow broke bones faster than they could be set. Each strike sent blood splashing across the walls, painting them in grisly red releif.

Really, it was a miracle Hazel was still alive at all after taking that last attack.

Even with Aura, the human body could only take so much damage. And numb or not, Hazel _was_ taking damage. His left eye was ruined, leaving a weeping wound behind. His chest had become a scarred and bloodied mess, with only the vaguest threads of clothing clinging to his scarred shoulders. Dust seemed to be the only thing that held him together now and even that too was beginning to fail him. His arm were a charred mess, blackened and twisted by electricity and flames. The other was gone entirely, severed well above the elbow, cauterized by the hell that was the Rasenshuriken.

Yet still he stood...for all the good it did him.

**"Hazel, Hazel, Hazel."** the words that followed cut deeper than any jutsu. **"Why must you be such a disappointment?"**

A clawed hand struck him in the stomach, folding the ruined main in half.

**"Whatever would your sister say if she saw you like this?"**

Hazel screamed.

**"Struck a nerve, have I? Good." **a clawed hand closed around his hair, bringing his face to his.** "I hope it burns. I hope she knows you're a monster. YOU'RE ACTING LIKE ONE!"**

Despite herself, Vernal winced.

This wasn't a battle anymore. It had ceased to be one five minutes ago when his eyes went red. She wasn't sure if that was a powerup or something, but he certainly treated it as such. Hazel hadn't been able to land a hit since then, and the ranting diatribe that followed hadn't helped him any. If anything it only made Naruto angrier. And the angrier he got? The harder he hit.

**"Salem can't be stopped, he says."**

An awful crack as he broke the giant's right arm.

**"She's a force of nature, he says."**

A devastating crunch as Hazel lost three of his fingers.

**"Well, people are a force of nature too! Just look at Amber!"**

Tyrian yelped as a fireball blasted him from his feet and flung him across the foyer.

**"We're still here! We're still fighting! Even I'm here because I want to be!"** A spinning kick sent teeth sailing into the air. **"But you! Your sister died to the Grimm, and you decided to work for the literal queen of evil! Where's the sense in that?! If you've got a sodding problem with Ozpin, take it up with him! Not us!"**

...the boss is pretty scary when he's mad, huh?" Vernal murmured.

"Nah." a familiar voice drawled beside her. "That ain't him. You can tell by the way he's talking."

Vernal turned to regard the clone left to watch her. "Eh? What're you on about? Naruto _is _Naruto. He's right there."

"He is, and that's not him." the doppelganger waved a hand. "That's Kurama. But you're right; he's probably pretty pissed off if he let the furball out to play. Haven't seen him this angry since Deidara."

Vernal blinked. "Who?"

"Eh, crazy bastard who ate clay and made bombs." the clone shrugged." He's dead, by the way."

...your world's weird."

_"Don't I know it!"_

Hazel sailed past them and crashed through a staircase. Naruto -Kurama?- sauntered after him with a lazy gait, uncaring as the giant struggled upright. He was still struggling when the blond reached him, grabbed him by the hair again and wrenched him upright again. There was no mercy to be found behind those crimson eyes. Cruel, clawed fingers

**"What's wrong?"** the blond's distorted voice rang out as he slammed Hazel's battered body into a wall.** "You were talking a real good game a few minutes ago. What happened to all that bravado?"**

"Hrngh...

**"Not gonna talk? That's fine. I'm feeling chatty today. See, that's the thing about my partner."** he laughed, shaking the blood from his hand. **"He's merciful. He's fond of second chances. He gave me one. I took it. But you?" **a click of the tongue, a shake of the head. **"You had once chance. One opportunity to see sense. You wasted it. And unlike him...I don't spare my enemies."**

Hazel howled at him and smashed him into the floor. Kurama cackled and backhanded him, sending the giant sprawling.

Vernal continued to watch.

Raven and Qrow had already gone below to retrieve the Relic. She could have gone with them. Could've sought shelter in the vault below while the adults fought up above. Instead she chose to stay. To linger, rather, to watch. Why wouldn't she? If she was going to be trained by this man, then she wanted to see how he fought. She knew she couldn't fight here. She hated it, but she accepted the truth. She wasn't big enough. Wasn't strong enough. Not yet. But one day she could be. And for now? She could watch. And in watching she learned.

Amber fought like a madwoman against Tyrian, slinging spells and elements around with frightful dispatch. Nothing to learn there. Only Fear.

Ah, but Naruto...now there was something she could appreciate.

Hazel's fist slammed into his face again. That very fist had shattered men before him. The ground splintered underfoot and a portion of the wall behind him gave way.

**"Put a little more force into it, would ya?"** the whiskered warrior yawned.** "Its not often I get to enjoy a jaunt like this."**

The giant grabbed him by the face and rammed his forehead against his. Once. Twice. Thrice. Aura cracked and sputtered. He was left with a bloody nose. Slitted eyes rose to regard him with mild disappointment, utterly unharmed, utterly unimpressed. Vernal felt a chill shoot down her spine, and she wasn't even the recipient of that smoldering glare. This wasn't Naruto. This was an immortal demon who saw humans as a distraction at best, playthings at worst. And it looked bored. Immortals were scary when they were bored.

**"What did I just say?"**

Hazel's arm sailed through the air.

It was...surprisingly cathartic to watch the monster take his lumps.

That brute would have_ broken Raven in half_ if he ever got his hands on her, and yet someone little more than half his size was beating him like a drum. Bloody big bastard had been eight feet tall to begin with! Even bigger now, with all that dust running through him! He must've gained at least another foot or two. That put him at what...ten feet, to Naruto's six? It should have been an insurmountable difference. Someone amped up on that many dust crystals should've been unstoppable. _Should_ have. Key word there.

**"Enough. You're boring me. Die and be with your sister. Maybe she'll be more merciful than me."**

Vernal settled in to watch the slaughter that followed. And by the brother gods, it was glorious.

Kurama rammed a _second_ Rasenshuriken into Hazel's chest. Hazel ceased to exist.

Vernal burst to her feet and slammed a fist into the air. "That's my teacher!"

_She wanted to be just like him when she grew up._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Amber couldn't hit him._

Try as she might, she just couldn't land a solid shot in on Tyrian Callows anymore. Nor could he harm her. He knew it, she knew it, and neither of them were able to do anything about it. Just thinking of it infuriated her as she called another molten spear to her hand and cast it at him. They were at an impasse. The best they'd managed was a few glancing blows -and the occasional explosion on her part- but never enough to truly settle the score. For while Amber could not harm him, _he_ was unable to reach her in turn.

"Do come down, dear maiden. There's no need to be shyyy~!"

Amber scoffed. "And get stung by you?! I think not!"

She'd learned her lesson against Cinder; while not unskilled in melee, she wasn't a master in it. Her true talents lay in other realms. Thus, she chose to stay airborne and rain down elemental destruction like a destructive goddess. Fire, ice, lightning, anything she could get her hands on. Maiden Power, while not necessarily tied to Aura, was mighty all the same. She could keep him at bay like this until Raven and Qrow returned, or Naruto dispatched Hazel. She intended to!

Much to Tyrian's annoyance.

Whenever the scorpion came close -as he had to!- she pelted him with fire and lightning. When that didn't work she could simply fly up to the ceiling, thereby forcing him to scale one of the pillars if he wanted to have any chance of catch her. Even now she could see the frustration writ upon his face as she floated away. The madman had long since given up trying to shoot her out of the sky; realizing it a futile gesture or having simply run out of ammunition. Amber suspected it was the latter. She'd heard his guns click empty and he hadn't reloaded since.

Still, she seethed with each passing second as the storm raged around them. Flames surged from her eyes as she flung her right hand forward, conjuring a fresh bolt of heavenly light.

Tyrian avoided it all. "My, my, my! Aren't we angry today~?!"

Writhing, bending, twisting, ducking, dodging at impossible angles, he somehow managed to keep ahead of her. Amber resisted the temptation to chase him. That was what he wanted. Get in close, use his Semblance to cut through her Aura, and do her in. He'd already traced a bloody line against her hip. She'd not make that mistake again. Her staff twirled, a mighty gust of wind burning from the crystal within-

A blast shook the world.

Amber jolted, her concentration lost. She turned her head just in time see Hazel's ruined corpse crash down the main stairwell, through the arms of a statue, and into the floor. Even from here she could see his wounds. A flash of pity burned bright in her chest and she stubbornly quashed it. He was missing a good portion of his chest alongside an arm and a leg. Numb or not, there would be no getting up from that. He was dead. He had to be. Even a monster like him couldn't possibly-

**"Behind you!"**

Naruto's shout came too late; a shadow fell over her as Tyrian descended form the rafters above with a mad cackle. He landed on her back, locked his legs around her upper torso -pinning her arms!- and started hacking, ripping her from the sky and all but riding her down to the ground as he tore into her. Amber snapped her head backward, driving her head into his chin. It availed her naught. Curved blades swung madly and bit through her Aura to find the vulnerable flesh of her back and shoulders. Blood sprayed through the air. Her strength waned.

Out of the corner of his eye, she saw his something flick forward in a dark streak of brown.

_No!_ Golden eyes burned white hot._ Not like this!_

In that brief moment of surprise, his tail stabbed down at her chest. Amber wrenched herself out to one side and kicked out at him, but it was too late. A burning heat seared up her leg as his stinger raked across her thigh and thrust through the muscle there. His tail flexed, pumping poison through her veins. An explosion of flame ripped him from her back, but the damage was done. Tyrian crashed backward and an earth-shattering roared rocked the room.

**"AMBER"!**

She barely heard him as crashed to the floor, tumbling to her hands and knees.

There was blood on her hands. Oh? Is it mine? It took her mind a reeling moment to comprehend what hat happened. Tyrian's blades had cut deep; into muscle and bone. His poison deeper still. Even now she could feel it burning in her veins in a sickly torrent of agony. The flames in her eyes guttered out as her knees buckled. Frantic, she pushed herself up on her elbows and tried to stave off her weakness. Shadows closed in, tugging into the corners of her vision.

Her world began to spin as Tyrian's boots filled her sight. "Sleep well, dear princes!"

Amber turned narrow eyes on him with a hiss. "You first."

Her hand locked around his ankle, tan fingers biting deep. Lightning coursed through her hand and shot up his leg_-into his chest._ For the first time since their brawl began, Tyrian shrieked in pain. Every muscle in his body clamped down as one; his body jerked like a puppet severed from its masters strings. Limbs twitched, sparks scrawled through his teeth, his very hair stood on end, body trashing madly.

Somehow, someway, the absolute madman managed to raise one of his blades. "You...little...bitch...!"

A golden meteor crashed into him before he could deal the final blow and beat him back. **"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Her!"**

Five hits. Amber saw them all. One for every word. Face. Throat. Chest. Groin. Solar plexus. Tyrian staggered back under the assault, flailing like a madman as he tried to block them all. He did not succeed. Every punch hammered through his defenses; each kick cracked bone and tore muscle alike. He was driven back, further, furthest still, unable to keep pace. Finally, he slipped up. An almighty uppercut caught his chin launched him toward one of the upper levels. The streak of holy light raced back to her.

A marked hand touched Amber's back and everything burned again.

**"You're alright, little bird."** an oddly familiar voice crooned.** "Just breathe. I've got you."**

Pleasant heat rushed through her shoulders, pushing the poison away and taking the cloying darkness with it. She gasped, back arching, wounds closing as if they'd never existed at all. It was the work of but a moment; a single touch brought her from the brink of death back to the land of the living. Her heart howled in her ears, hammering a harsh pace that nothing could hope to match.

Hacking and coughing, retching and gasping, Amber curled into a ball and whispered a silent prayer of thanks to the Brother Gods.

Twice. That was twice she'd been saved from certain death now. She wasn't certain there would be a third.

**"Stay here."** she distantly heard him. **"I'll handle this."**

She sucked in a ragged gasp as her eyes began to burn again, stronger than ever before. Her aura might have been spent, but the Maiden Power was tied to her emotions. It surged through her veins, eager to lash out at the one who had hurt her. It took everything she had to hold in check.

Finally, she dared look up "Naruto...?"

**"No, no, no."** a clawed finger wagged. **"Naruto's not here right now. He's taking a nap. I'm here to lay down the law. Just sit tight."**

Realization dawned. "Kurama...?"

**"Ayeee." **he flicked her a thumbs up.** "Got it in one."**

Amber coughed up a wad of blood. "Ha. So this is what you sound like...?"

"HOW LOVELY!"

Tyrian tumbled to his feet from one of the upper floors, grinning like his namesake.

"You're actually trying to kill me!" he skipped from one foot to the other as he landed. "I knew you had it in you! My queen will be so pleased!" His fail flicked forward, a sizzling drop of poison fell down to sear through the floor below. "And it would seem that dear Cinder was right." wide eyes alighted upon Amber. Just looking at him left her feeling ill. "You can heal others. I put enough poison in her to drop a Beringel. She should be dead by now." another giggle. "Yet she lives! How wonderful!"

The killer took a low, sweeping stance.

"What's say we kick things up a notch or two?"

Kurama stopped smiling. Instead he turned to face Tyrian, body flickering shades of golden and red.

**"Do you know the definition of insanity, Tyrian?"** he all but sang the words. **"Oh, who am I kidding. You're already insane. Of course you do. But just in case you've forgotten...**

His fist shot up, catching the hooked blades before they could separate his head from his shoulders. Another blade smacked home into his hand, forcing the two of them into a deadlock. Tyrian tittered and pushed back; no doubt the faunus fancied his chances in a contest of strength.

That was a mistake.

**"Insanity is doing the exact,"** A golden heel shot out, bloodying the man's nose,** "Same thing,"** another blow, another yelp. **"Over and over again expecting... things to change."**

Kurama leaned forward, pushing the Faunus back through raw strength alone.** "That. Is. Crazy."**

Tyrian broke the block and whirled to strike at his knees, only to find empty air.

**"You're the same, Tyrian."** A boot planted itself on the man's back, kicking him forward. **"You keep attacking me like this, keep doing the exact same stupid thing."** He ducked the riposte that followed, swept his legs, and rammed a kunai into the older man's right arm, drawing a startle gurgle from him. **"Over and over and over and over again thinking 'this time is gonna be different', no, no, no please."** A flick of his wrist tore it out and hacked at him a second time, tearing a second trench across his chest.** "This time is gonna be different. Well!"** A laugh burst from him, deep and feral. **"I hate to burst your bubble...but this?"**

Tyrian's tail stabbed at his face. Naruto caught in his right hand, wrenched his arm down and to the left, overextending the stinger.

His knife came out and cut through the chitinous appendage like paper.

**"This is where you die."**

Purple poison and dark arterial blood spattered the floor. Tyrian lashed out in a blind rage. Kurama shattered his weapons, kicked him down, then trapped him there for good measure. A booted foot planted itself against the faunus's wiry neck. His right hand swept back, fingers clenching into a vicious claw. As Amber looked on, a vermilion rasengan snarled in his open palm. Tyrian snarled and thrashed like a man possessed, but even his anger availed him naught.

Abruptly, he gave up and slumped.

"Go on." a strange, surreal smile blossomed across his twisted face. "Do it. Kill me. Become the monster I knew you are. My goddess will welcome you with open arms. Ohhh, and then, THEN!" a giddy giggle fled from his lips. "You'll burn the world. Ha! Its just as she has foreseen!

Kurama kicked him again, drawing another gasp.

**"Goddess, you say?"** he chortled angrily.** "Puny mortal. We've beaten a goddess before. What makes you think yours will be any different?"**

His arm crashed down.

Amber latched onto his wrist.

Red eyes blazed into molten gold.

**...you cannot be serious. He nearly killed you!"**

"We need him alive." she insisted, tugging at his arm. "He'll have information."

**"Do we?"** Kurama sighed, displeasure twisting Naruto's face into a scowl. **"Do we really?"**

"Yes! He might know her plans!" Hazel was one thing, but she wasn't about to stand by here; not when they had a chance to finally _learn_ something of the woman hunting them. More than that, something told her they would regret crossing this line, regret it more than anything else. Tyrian was goading him on. Killing was a slippery slope. Once you started, it was difficult to stop. She knew that firsthand. She'd killed before, crossed that line and had to drag herself back over it. She wouldn't let them make the same mistakes, not when she could save them from that hell.

"He wants you to kill him." she hissed, eyeing Tyrian's smug face. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

**"Man's a lunatic."** Kurama feigned an indifferent shrug. **"They don't make sense."**

"I'm not debating this with you! Put Naruto back on already!"

He blew out a sigh.** "Alright, alright, can't blame an old fox for having a bit of fun...**

Amber saw the precise moment her partner reemerged; it wasn't in his eyes, though they did shift from red to blue. No, it was the _posture_ that truly reflected the chance. His stance became less aggressive, his smile just a little less feral. He may have kept his boot on Tyrian's throat, but he didn't look like he'd crush it any moment now.

...fine. He lives."

"Such a shame!" Tyrian crowed. "And here I was hoping you'd take the plunge."

"Quiet." Naruto's kicked down, striking his skull. The madman crumpled with a gurgle. "I'll leave some clones to watch Lionheart and get rid of...

"Boss!" Vernal yelped.

Naruto whipped around to see his would-be apprentice leaping back. Amber joined him, just in time to see _something _hurtle out of the room, clutching what remained of the giant's corpse. Whatever it was, it didn't look human. She glimpsed a shock of black framed by white bone and dark fur. It looked like a hound of some sort. Grimm?! Here?! In the academy. That wasn't possible. It shouldn't _be possible._

"Blast it!" the blond snapped his fingers together, summoning a trio of clones. "After him!"

Paralyzed by the horror of what she'd just seen, Amber didn't stop him. A lingering blood trail told a grisly tale. What would a Grimm want with a dead body? They didn't need to eat. How had one even made it this far into the school at all?

Naruto summoned another horde of clones, numbering five and all.

"Watch those two." he commanded, jerking a finger toward Lionheart and another at Tyrian. "If anyone comes and tries to take them away, explain what happened. If they keep trying...stop them."

Each snapped off a salute, but something in his words worried Amber all the same.

"Tyrian's a wanted murder. Most of Mistral knows him. But Lionheart...well, there are cameras all over the school." when Naruto didn't answer, she reached out and grabbed his hand. "He won't get away with this. Ozpin won't let him." her fingers threaded with his. "Its alright. You can breathe, now. We won."

As she looked on, his expression softened. "Fair enough. Vernal!"

The younger girl jolted under his gaze. "Yeah, teach?

"You're with us. We're going down into the vault. Qrow and Raven should have the relic by now."

Steeling herself, Amber turned and followed him down into the vault.

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

Jinn stirred in her prison.

Ah, freedom at last. How long it had been.

She knew her summoner the moment he touched the Relic.

It wasn't a conscious decision on her part; she did not choose to know the young man currently hold the lamp. She simply did. Such was a gift granted her by the gods. Hers as a boon of Knowledge. Never of the future, but of the present...and the past. A single touch, rough fingers brushing over the lamp, was all it took for her to know anyone who wished to ask her a question. Really, it was almost unfair how much she learned of him, and in but an instant at that. And for once, it wasn't the old man who released her. No, this was someone new.

Knowledge flooded her mind where there had been none before._ Naruto Uzumaki._

A ninja displaced from space and time. Warrior, savior, hero, accidentally cast adrift fro his world. A simple soul, yet also a wounded one, tarnished by pain and distress. More knowledge came and she welcomed, poring over it like a good book. In the blink of an eye she knew him and his deeds. Past and present. This boy was a bringer of miracles, breaker of fate, destroyer of destiny. He held two fragments of a divinity within him. One in his right hand, and another sealed in his stomach.

His touch nourished her. Then something...unexpected happened.

Jinn blinked in her prison, blue eyes widening as she felt a fresh surge of power enter the Relic that housed her currently incorporeal form. One of her questions was restored to her. The last of the trinity, used by Raven Branwen so long ago, was now available once more. Well. Well, well, well! This was new! This was unexpected! This was something she hadn't been able to predict! Here was a _miracle_, one that might never come again. Did it have something to do with the fragments within him? Had he unknowingly recharged the Relic? She knew not. The prospect excited her.

"Jinn!" her new owner boomed! "I summon you!"

She was all too happy to manifest in response to this curious development. _"Ahhh...wonderful." _

Raising her arms over her head, she stretched languidly, uncaring of those below her. Four gawped at her. The fifth already knew her. Truly, she never grew tired of their reactions. She took her time stretching, savoring their confusion, their exclamations, their surprise. What was wrong with that? A girl needed her entertainment.

_"Hello, Naruto Uzumaki."_

Her summoner blinked, taken aback. "How do you know my name?"

_"It is my nature to know things. I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge."_ she turned her head to regard them with a curious expression_. "I have been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years."_

When none dared interrupt, so too did she dared to continue.

_"You're in luck, as I'm still able to answer three questions this era." _her gaze fixed on the blond one, the stubborn youth youth even now regarding her with wide eyes._ "Count yourselves lucky. There were but two before one of you touched the lamp."_

The little quintet before her shared a glance among themselves.

"Three?" the spring maiden muttered. "How is that possible? I already used one. It hasn't been a hundred years."

_"I do not know." _And she _reveled_ in the unknown._ "Do be careful, lest I take that as a question." _She would not, of course. This was far too interesting to be spoilt with a big of mischief. _"Ask, and so long as it does not pertain of the future, I will do my best to answer you."_

Naruto's mouth opened. She suspected the question that would come. Just as she knew the answer.

Jinn felt her lips move of her own accord. _"If you seek a way home, shinobi, you shall not find it. The way is shut. The die is cast. You cannot return."_

Naruto recoiled, face gone ashen.

Jinn frowned, a rare not of displeasure souring her curiosity. In answering questions she held a conduit to the gods, and the wealth of Knowledge they possessed. But that conduit ran both ways. They had never deigned to speak through her before. Even as she reached for their presence, it retreated, leaving her alone once more. Had this wayward warrior caught their eye as well? Were they still watching the world of Remnant even now? A curious question, that, one she did not have the answer to.

_"I am sorry." _she murmured. _"But take heart. Three questions yet remain, for you have yet to speak one."_

Amber elbowed Naruto. Jinn focused on her. She knew this one too, just as she knew the Spring Maiden, as she knew all who had touched the lamp. Her fingers had brushed it before Naruto had called upon her. Always so curious these mortals. Ignorance was bliss. Did they not realize ignorance was bliss? What she would not give to discard this endless knowledge.

"What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

Ah. Now that, she could answer. He had hidden much indeed. More than they knew.

But showing, as they say, was better than telling. And a picture was worth a thousand words. _"Once upon a time, there was a lonely girl trapped in a tower..._

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

His eyes were damp.

It wasn't Jinn's knowledge -nor the reality of Ozma and Salem- that hurt Naruto. It was truth. He didn't fear the gods, or even the understanding that they existed. No, i was something else entirely. He couldn't return. His world was lost to him. Alive, perhaps, but lost nonetheless. Jinn's words had rang with truth, and he didn't sense a lie in them. Nor did he hate Ozpin for what he'd done. If anything, he pitied the man. He'd made a mistake. They were alike in that regard.

**"Well."** Kurama groaned.** "That's a thing. Its Kaguya all over again...**

The news wounded Naruto, but it didn't destroy him. He didn't let it. It threatened to shatter the others, however.

"Shit." Qrow swore softly. "Salem's immortal?! I...this...what the hell?! Why didn't he tell us?! Why didn't he tell Summer...?! If he had...!

Raven clicked her tongue. "Now do you understand? This is why Ozpin can't be trusted. Why Salem can't be fought!"

Amber clutched her head in her hands. "She really can't be beaten...why are we even fighting...?!"

Vernal tucked her head between her knees with a whimper, terror writ across her face.

Oddly enough, _that_ set him off.

"ENOUGH!"

His voice shook the vault, silencing the four of them.

"Salem can be beaten." he spoke slowly, measuring his words with great care. "I've dealt with immortals before. If you can't kill something, you seal it. You lock it away. Bury it deep. If that doesn't work, you launch it into space." when no one challenged him, he slapped a fist into an open palm. "Just calm down. We can do this." Brisk steps carried him to Vernal's side. He patted her head and the younger girl latched onto him with a wordless whimper. "We just beat her pawns into the ground. That says something."

...you're right." Qrow released a heavy breath. "Maybe we can't beat her. But we can damn well beat her pawns."

"Oi!" Naruto slapped his back. "Amber and I did the fighting, _thankyouverymuch!"_

Qrow returned it. "Aw, c'mon! We were only gone for five minutes!"

"Five minutes is an eternity in a fight, birdbrain!"

That got him an elbow. "Brat."

Naruto grinned back and just like that, the levity between them was restored. "Drunken birdie."

_"Hey!"_

Amber looked to him with something resembling hope. "Do you... know how to seal her...?"

"Well, I've been taught a little when it comes to scrolls, but I can damn well learn!" Naruto folded both arms before her chest. "Can't be that hard."

Bitter laughter tumbled past Raven's lips. "You're being naive. Who says sealing will stop her?"

"Who says it won't? he butted his head against hers. "We won't know till we try."

And maybe she didn't have to be sealed. Salem seemed as much a victim in this as Ozpin. Their feud had all the hallmarks of a bad divorce, and Remnant their custody battle. Maybe somebody needed to lock those two in a closet until they made up. Bit of a farfetched solution, that, but it wasn't one he could bring himself to dismiss. He'd talked down his enemies before. Salem...was probably right up there with the worst, yet he couldn't bring himself to discard the chance that she might see sense.

If anything, the real villains were the gods!

**"And you want to fight them? Of course you do!."**

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hush! You're starting to sound like Raven!"

_"Two questions remain."_ Jinn atoned above them._ "Speak them now, if you please."_

Naruto fel this brow furrow. What did he want to ask? Jinn had given him a freebie in regards to his world, and she'd already told them about Ozpin. What more was there to know? She couldn't predict the future. Even if she could, he wasn't sure he wanted her to. The future was best left unknown. Still, he could ask any number of things. Did he dare?

A thought occurred to him, then.

"Once we're done, you'll go back into the Relic, won't you?"

_"That is knowledge I can give freely."_ her head bobbed. "Yes. I will fall back into slumber until the next cycle."

Ozpin was a prisoner of the Gods. So too was Salem. Each shackled into a cycle that they couldn't break. By that very logic, wasn't Jinn the same?

Forced to spend eternity locked in a lamp, with only a brief respite to answer questions. Then back in the Relic she went, to wait another hundred years. Rinse and repeat. Over. And over. Over again. His heart went out to her. That was no way to live. No, it wasn't living at all. Anyone else would've gone mad. Jinn had been downright pleasant to them. And her goodwill would go forgotten. He wasn't sure he'd be sane after enduring that kind of isolation. No, that didn't sound fair to her at all.

Vernal whimpered against his side. "Can we go home now?"

Home.

Just hearing the word made Naruto twitch. Remnant was his home now. Maybe it wasn't his to protect, but he wouldn't leave it to burn either. If he couldn't find a way back...then he may as well get comfortable here. And he wasn't the sort to ignore injustice like this when he saw it. Steel hardened in his heart. Cobalt blue eyes rose to regard Jinn's still-hovering form.

Qrow saw the steely gleam in his gaze before the others. "Kid, whatever you're thinking...don't do it."

Raven realized it a moment. "I say go for it. Can't hurt, and it might screw Salem."

Amber's expression was a study of contrast. "Are you sure about this...?"

Kurama whistled, low and deep.** "You sly dog! I like it!"**

Naruto inhaled. Exhaled. Spoke. "How do I free you?"

Her lips parted, forming a small, perfect oval.

_"Is that to be your second question?"_

He stood his ground. "Yes."

As he looked on, Jinn's expression changed. Her eyes widened. Shock flitted across her face. Followed by fear. Then something else entirely. It was a small, subtle thing, but he picked up on it instantly. Her gaze narrowed, regarding him with a strange lidded look. Jinn tilted her head just so, bright blue eyes flicking up and down the length of him. He had the distinct feeling she was reassessing her opinion of him...and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He didn't regret his decision. He refused to.

_"My, my."_ she titered softly. _"Aren't you an interesting one! I like you."_

Naruto rang one had through the messy many of his hair.

He had no idea what he'd done. Indeed, how could he?

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Life was good.

Taiyang Xiao-Long certainly thought so.

At least it was, until his ex-wife and a bunch of strangers toppled out of a portal in his living room.

A young girl landed atop them, clad entirely in blue. She blinked back at him innocently.

"Hello~!" she chirruped. "I'm Jinn. Nice to meet you~!"

Taiyang set his book down.

_...what the actual hell."_

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. NOTE.**

**BEHOLD LITTLE!JINN! Well, she's little for now...**

**Consider this for a moment. Jinn with a physical body. Unshackled by the Relic. Would that be a good thing...or a bad thing?**

**Other bits next chapter; it was too important to wrap the fight**

**For better or worse, the Brother Gods are watching. But that's all. They watch. They wait. They won't lift a finger for Remnant unless they're summoned.**

**Hazel's vanished and Tyrian's going to jail. He's gonna need some Grimm limbs if he gets out of this. And that? That be a mighty big if! ****That's what happens when you take a ninja who basically has PTSD and hurt someone he cares about. Naruto and Kurama snapped. Snapped hard. Thankfully, they were able to pull themselves back from the brink. **

**As ever, reviews keep me going in this dark time; they're all I have, sad as it sounds.**

**Fight continues next chapter. Now if you'll excuse me, I feel like shite, so I'm just gonna go cry in a corner until I feel better.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive and -relatively!- healthy despite what's been going on.**

**Well, that's all I have to say this time around.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy the previews~!**

**Speakin' a which...**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY! **_

**(Previews)**

_Jinn was like a curious child. Almost adorable, really._

* * *

_"What cannot be killed can be sealed...that's it!"_

_Ozpin sank back in his seat, covered his eyes with one hand, and began. It was a rare, genuine sound, the laugh of a man who had been set free. Glynda glanced at him askance, baffled by this unexpected outburst, but he waved her down __This...this was perfect. Beyond even his wildest dreams._

_Salem's days were numbered. She just didn't realize it yet._

_A way out. He finally had a way out of this gods-forsaken-shadow war. He just needed time._

* * *

_"Naruto Uzumaki!" Winter's saber flicked out, her eyes burning with ice blue flames. "I would have words with you!"  
_

_"Yeah, kinda expected that..._

* * *

_...you're going to make me a weapon?"_

_"Yes!" Amber preened, cheeks gone rosy at the praise. "I may not look it, but I come from a family of prod weapon smiths."_

_"I don't really use a weapon though...I mean, I can summon a staff."_

_She clasped her hands and gave him the watery eyes._

_"Pleeeaaase?"_

* * *

_Salem smiled at her newest acquisition. "Welcome to the fold."_

_The hooded figure bowed._

**_R&R~!_**


End file.
